Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori has expressed his "deepest apologies and remorse" over controversial sexist remarks he made last week. This was announced in a statement on Wednesday.

The organizers said that Mori acknowledged that they were inappropriate and also contrary to the Olympic and Paralympic spirit, exactly the same wording in a statement made by the IOC on Tuesday.

A former Japanese Prime Minister, 83-year-old Mori said on February 3 at a meeting of the Japanese Olympic Committee: "Women have a strong sense of rivalry... if one female member raises her hand to speak, everyone will think they need to say something too."