As expected, Tsunekazu Takeda now has greater recognition and responsibilities — and gravitas — within the global Olympic community.
Takeda was elected Thursday to the International Olympic Committee at the 124th IOC session. He was nominated for the executive board in March.
Takeda became Japan's 13th IOC member. He already serves as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bid Committee president (since 2001) as Japanese Olympic Committee president. His supervisory roles, including a stint as coach, for Japanese equestrian teams continued at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, the 1988 Seoul Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
"I started out as an equestrian athlete in the 1972 Munich Games and 1976 Montreal Games," Takeda said. "Since then, I have been fortunate enough to work in several positions in the Olympic movement. It is a true honor to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee. This is an extremely humbling experience, and I would like to express my appreciation to the IOC for the responsibilities they have entrusted to me. I look forward to continue representing and promoting the Olympic movement in Japan and throughout the world.
"I am determined to inspire and educate youth through sport, as there is no other universal language that better brings people together."