Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita on Friday hinted he may quit as the head of the All Japan Judo Federation following allegations one of its former executive officers engaged in harassment of a staff member.
Yamashita said there have been no penalties imposed on the former executive officer, who was reported by the AJJF's compliance committee over the issue in late November but was out of contact for around a month before leaving the body for personal reasons in January.
"I have a major responsibility. I couldn't fulfill my role," Yamashita told a press conference, adding he found it difficult to fulfill his roles with both the JOC and the AJJF.
The AJJF said its regulations stipulate it cannot reprimand anyone over an incident without first hearing their account.
Yamashita, who won the men's open judo gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, has headed the AJJF since 2017.
The 63-year-old succeeded Tsunekazu Takeda to become the JOC president in 2019 and has been an International Olympic Committee member since 2020.
