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Associated Press

A Japanese mayor apologised on Thursday for biting the Olympic gold medal belonging to a softball player who had paid a courtesy visit after Japan beat the United States in the final.
Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura had praised pitcher Miu Goto during the August 4 visit, but his eyes were glued to her medal. He asked her to put it around his neck.
Kawamura then pulled down his face mask and bit into it.
“I’m really sorry that I hurt the treasure of the gold medallist,” Kawamura told reporters on Thursday.


The mayor said the medal was undamaged, though he offered to pay for the cost of a new one.
Goto, however, has accepted the International Olympic Committee’s offer of a replacement, according to Japanese media reports.
The medal bite has become a staple of Olympic photo-ops – but for the winners themselves, not others.
After Tokyo Olympics, athletes may face mental health battles as they return to normal life
The scene broadcast on television prompted thousands of complaints to city hall.
Some Olympians said they treat their medals as treasures and that it was outrageous for Kawamura to bite one.
“I would cry if that happened to me,” Naohisa Takato, who won gold for Japan in judo, said in a tweet.
“I handle my own gold medal so gently not to scratch it.”

Yuki Ota, a silver-medal winning fencer, said the mayor’s action was disrespectful to athletes and was a bad idea for Covid-19 measures.
Goto reportedly considered keeping the original but eventually accepted the IOC offer of a replacement.


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Tokyo Olympics: Japanese mayor apologises for biting softball player Miu Goto’s gold medal

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OSAKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 29: Zhu Ting #2 of China receives the ball during the match between China and Argentina of 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup on September 29, 2019 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

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The Nagoya official offered to pay for a new one, but Goto has accepted the International Olympic Committee’s offer of a replacement
The medal bite has become a staple of Olympic photo-ops – but for the winners themselves, not others



Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura offered to pay for a new one, but softball pitcher Miu Goto has accepted the International Olympic Committee’s offer of a replacement.


Japan

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