Watanabe Becomes 2nd Incumbent Japanese IOC Member

October 11, 2018

Buenos Aires- Morinari Watanabe became the second incumbent Japanese member of the International Olympic Committee in a vote in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

Watanabe, 59, president of the International Gymnastics Federation, is also the 14th Japanese IOC member since the late Jigoro Kano became the first Japanese to join the body in 1909.

Watanabe, one of nine candidates for IOC membership up for the vote, collected 76 of 77 votes. The eight others also won approval, bringing the total number of IOC members to 104.

The other incumbent Japanese IOC member is Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda, who was elected in July 2012.

Watanabe has been serving as president of International Gymnastics Federation since October 2016. He is the only Japanese head of an international governing body of an Olympic sport. Jiji Press