Veteran politician Seiko Hashimoto elected first female president of the Japanese Olympic Committee
TOKYO (AP) — Seiko Hashimoto has been elected president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, becoming the first woman to head the body. She is a former Olympian and was elected late Thursday to replace Yasuhiro Yamashita, who served three terms.
Hashimoto competed in cycling in three Summer Olympics (1988, 1992 and 1996), and in speedskating in four Winter Olympics (1984, 1988, 1992 and 1994). She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Albertville Games in speedskating.
Hashimoto has served as a government minister for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and is currently a member of the upper house of the Japanese parliament.
She also was appointed president of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee early in 2021. She replaced Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister who was forced to resign as president of the committee after making sexist comments about women.
Japanese media reported that she had met recently with outgoing International Olympic President Thomas Bach and had been encouraged to have Japan bid for another Olympics.
'I believe the JOC's mission is to bid again to host the Olympics and Paralympics,' she was quoted as saying by Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The Tokyo Olympics were held in 2021 after being delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even before the delay, the Tokyo Games were plagued by rising costs and eventually by a bid-rigging scandal that forced Japan to drop a potential bid by the northern city of Sapporo for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Hashimoto is sure to face close scrutiny. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, on its English-language website, reported she addressed the question of a political funding scandal linked to the ruling LDP party.
'I would not have run if there had been any suspicion over my actions,' the newspaper reported her saying.
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
14 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Pope Leo XIV marks feast day as Vatican launches campaign to help erase its $57-68 million deficit
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday celebrated a special feast day traditionally used by the Catholic Church to drum up donations from the faithful, with the Vatican under the first American pope rolling out a new campaign to urge ordinary Catholics to help bail out the deficit-ridden Holy See. Leo celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, marking the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and repeated his message calling for unity and communion among all Christians. In churches around the world, Masses on the July 29 feast day often include a special collection for Peter's Pence , a fund which both underwrites the operations of the central government of the Catholic Church and pays for the pope's personal acts of charity. With a promotional video, poster, QR code and website soliciting donations via credit card, PayPal, bank transfer and post office transfer, the Vatican is betting this year that an American-style fundraising pitch under the Chicago-born Leo will help keep the Holy See bureaucracy afloat and erase its 50 million to 60 million euro ($57-68 million) structural deficit. The video features footage of Leo's emotional first moments as pope, when he stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica and later choked up as he received the fisherman's ring of the papacy. With an evocative soundtrack in the background, the video superimposes a message, available in several languages, urging donations to Leo via the Peter's Pence collection. 'With your donation to Peter's Pence, you support the steps of the Holy Father,' it says. 'Help him proclaim the Gospel to the world and extend a hand to our brothers and sisters in need. Support the steps of Pope Leo XIV. Donate to Peter's Pence.' The fund has been the source of scandal in recent years, amid revelations that the Vatican's secretariat of state mismanaged its holdings through bad investments, incompetent management and waste. The recent trial over the Vatican's bungled investment in a London property confirmed that the vast majority of Peter's Pence contributions had funded the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls, not papal charity initiatives as many parishioners had been led to believe. Between the revelations and the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed churches and canceled out the traditional pass-the-basket collection on June 29, Peter's Pence donations fell to 43.5 million euros in 2022 — a low not seen since 1986 — that was nevertheless offset the same year by other investment income and revenue to the fund. Donations rose to 48.4 million euros (about $56.7 million) in 2023 and hit 54.3 million euros (nearly $63.6 million) last year, according to the Peter's Pence annual report issued last week. But the fund incurred expenses of 75.4 million euros ($88.3 million) in 2024, continuing the trend in which the fund is exhausting itself as it covers the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls. On top of the budget deficit, the Vatican is also facing a 1 billion euro (about $1.17 billion) shortfall in its pension fund that Pope Francis, in the months before he died, warned was unable in the medium term to fulfill its obligations. Unlike countries, the Holy See doesn't issue bonds or impose income tax on its residents to run its operations, relying instead on donations, investments and revenue generated by the Vatican Museums, and sales of stamps, coins, publications and other initiatives. For years, the United States has been the greatest source of donations to Peter's Pence, with U.S. Catholics contributing around a quarter of the total each year. Vatican officials are hoping that under Leo's pontificate, with new financial controls in place and an American math major running the Holy See, donors will be reassured that their money won't be misspent or mismanaged. 'This is a concrete way to support the Holy Father in his mission of service to the universal Church,' the Vatican's economy ministry said in a press release last week announcing the annual collection and new promotional materials surrounding it. 'Peter's Pence is a gesture of communion and participation in the Pope's mission to proclaim the Gospel, promote peace, and spread Christian charity.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
21 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Carlos Alcaraz loves playing on grass and is trying to win a third Wimbledon title in a row
LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz's first match on a grass court came just six years ago. He's obviously a quick study. When Wimbledon gets started Monday, the 22-year-old from Spain will play in the first Centre Court match of this fortnight, an honor reserved for the previous year's men's champion. The contest against Fabio Fognini will open Alcaraz's a bid for a third consecutive championship at the place. That's something only four men have achieved in the Open era, which began in 1968: Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Not bad company. Alcaraz already is 5-0 in Grand Slam finals, which includes going 2-0 at the French Open — which he won three weeks ago via a comeback from two sets down against No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final — and 1-0 at the U.S. Open. Last year, the No. 2-ranked Alcaraz became the youngest man to win a major trophy on each surface: grass, clay and hard courts. But he's got a fondness for the green stuff. 'The most beautiful tennis that we can watch is on grass. The style that the people bring to the court when they play on grass. ... The sound of the ball,' said Alcaraz, who will go into Monday on a career-best 18-match winning streak, including a title at the Queen's Club tournament last weekend. 'The movement is really tough, but when you get it, it's kind of (as though) you're flying.' He loves that it allows him to show off the variety in his game and all of the skills he possesses. Few players smile as much as Alcaraz does while in the thick of things, no matter what challenges might be presented by the foe across the net or the tension of the moment. He is as creative as it gets with a racket in hand, sometimes to his own detriment, and admits enjoying seeing replays on arena video screens after some of his best deliveries (that technology isn't used at the All England Club, but perhaps it should be). 'I really want to hit slices, drop shots, going to the net all the time, playing aggressively,' said Alcaraz, who said he lost to two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray during a round of golf early in the week. 'I think on grass it's the style that you have to play, so that's what I like the most.' It's instructive to hear what Djokovic had to say about Alcaraz after a straight-set loss in last year's final at the All England Club. 'He just was better than me in every aspect of the game,' Djokovic said. 'In movement, in the way he was just striking the ball beautifully, serving great. Everything.' Those words carry weight. Djokovic has won seven of his men's-record 24 Grand Slam trophies at Wimbledon but was the runner-up to Alcaraz in 2023 and 2024. When it comes to the idea of joining an elite group by completing a three-peat in two weeks' time, Alcaraz insisted that isn't the sort of thing he really cares about or spends time considering. He wants the title, yes. But where it would place him in history? Leave that to others. 'I really want to lift the trophy,' Alcaraz said. 'But right now, I'm not thinking about who I could join if I win three Wimbledons in a row.'
San Francisco Chronicle
21 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pope Leo XIV marks feast day as Vatican launches campaign to help erase its $57-68 million deficit
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday celebrated a special feast day traditionally used by the Catholic Church to drum up donations from the faithful, with the Vatican under the first American pope rolling out a new campaign to urge ordinary Catholics to help bail out the deficit-ridden Holy See. Leo celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, marking the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and repeated his message calling for unity and communion among all Christians. In churches around the world, Masses on the July 29 feast day often include a special collection for Peter's Pence, a fund which both underwrites the operations of the central government of the Catholic Church and pays for the pope's personal acts of charity. With a promotional video, poster, QR code and website soliciting donations via credit card, PayPal, bank transfer and post office transfer, the Vatican is betting this year that an American-style fundraising pitch under the Chicago-born Leo will help keep the Holy See bureaucracy afloat and erase its 50 million to 60 million euro ($57-68 million) structural deficit. The video features footage of Leo's emotional first moments as pope, when he stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica and later choked up as he received the fisherman's ring of the papacy. With an evocative soundtrack in the background, the video superimposes a message, available in several languages, urging donations to Leo via the Peter's Pence collection. 'With your donation to Peter's Pence, you support the steps of the Holy Father,' it says. 'Help him proclaim the Gospel to the world and extend a hand to our brothers and sisters in need. Support the steps of Pope Leo XIV. Donate to Peter's Pence.' The fund has been the source of scandal in recent years, amid revelations that the Vatican's secretariat of state mismanaged its holdings through bad investments, incompetent management and waste. The recent trial over the Vatican's bungled investment in a London property confirmed that the vast majority of Peter's Pence contributions had funded the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls, not papal charity initiatives as many parishioners had been led to believe. Between the revelations and the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed churches and canceled out the traditional pass-the-basket collection on June 29, Peter's Pence donations fell to 43.5 million euros in 2022 — a low not seen since 1986 — that was nevertheless offset the same year by other investment income and revenue to the fund. Donations rose to 48.4 million euros (about $56.7 million) in 2023 and hit 54.3 million euros (nearly $63.6 million) last year, according to the Peter's Pence annual report issued last week. But the fund incurred expenses of 75.4 million euros ($88.3 million) in 2024, continuing the trend in which the fund is exhausting itself as it covers the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls. On top of the budget deficit, the Vatican is also facing a 1 billion euro (about $1.17 billion) shortfall in its pension fund that Pope Francis, in the months before he died, warned was unable in the medium term to fulfill its obligations. Unlike countries, the Holy See doesn't issue bonds or impose income tax on its residents to run its operations, relying instead on donations, investments and revenue generated by the Vatican Museums, and sales of stamps, coins, publications and other initiatives. For years, the United States has been the greatest source of donations to Peter's Pence, with U.S. Catholics contributing around a quarter of the total each year. Vatican officials are hoping that under Leo's pontificate, with new financial controls in place and an American math major running the Holy See, donors will be reassured that their money won't be misspent or mismanaged. 'This is a concrete way to support the Holy Father in his mission of service to the universal Church,' the Vatican's economy ministry said in a press release last week announcing the annual collection and new promotional materials surrounding it. 'Peter's Pence is a gesture of communion and participation in the Pope's mission to proclaim the Gospel, promote peace, and spread Christian charity.' ___
