
"The IOC fully respects President Mori's decision to step down and understands his reasons for doing so. The IOC will continue working hand-in-hand with his successor to deliver safe and secure Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021," said Bach.

"I sincerely hope that the domestic and international reaction over the last seven days can be harnessed so that society places greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion, not just in terms of gender representation, but race, sexuality, and persons with disabilities," said Parsons.

"We need to pick the next president urgently. As board members have suggested we have transparent process, we will set up a candidate review committee," said Muto.

Fukushima took to Twitter and wrote: "This is the result of many, many women raising their voices. Of course this doesn't resolve the problem. We need to create a society of gender equality in all places. Let's get to work!"

Shii took to Twitter and wrote: "The organising committee, the JOC, and the government need to reflect deeply on their response up to this point. It's necessary to use this as a chance to address the distortions in Japan, which as a society is behind in gender equality."