Nagoya mayor apologizes for biting athlete's gold medal

A Japanese mayor apologized Thursday (Aug 12)...

This medal biting happened on Aug 4th, over a week ago.

What was he waiting for? So during that time he wasn't actually sorry?

Was he trying to see if it was made of real gold?

This medal biting happened on Aug 4th, over a week ago.

What was he waiting for? So during that time he wasn't actually sorry?

Is it take times to realize medal wasn't an eatable food?

And that’s a leader…explains a lot.

Why this is worth appearing a second time in the news is beyond me. Just replace the medal. He already gave a apology a week ago. Is like they intentionally like to bully the poor man.

Is he a dog?

Jiji spit! jiji teeth marks! Yucky yucky yucky

He shouldn't have to resign though as suggested by the journalists' questions.

Anyway, medal-biting, a disgusting ritual generated by the media. This man foolishly went along with it. And so rude to Goto, the medalist. End medal biting vapid stupidness!

I thought no one other than the medal winners are supposed to put the medals around their necks?

Kawamura is unfortunately not the sharpest pencil in the pen. He may have a good education, but the way he presents himself, the way he speaks (I mean, Nagoya-ben is cool, but think of where you can use it) and most importantly the way he acts like a village hillbilly shows that gained education does not equal intelligence. Maybe I could understand if he was the mayor of some village in the middle of some small island. But the mayor of one of the biggest cities in Japan? Every time he appears in the media, it's worth it.

More Goto trouble?

Japanese people really buy into the idea of the Olympics being more than a sports day and a gold medal being much more than an object. If you don't believe in it, the whole overspend and health risk were pointless. I'm actually surprised that someone would so readily accept a replacement gold, because it won't be the special one they received on the special podium.

Anyway, the above is why there were thousands of complaints when the mayor bit it. In doing so, he embarrassed the city of Nagoya who he represents. What he said last week was "If I've caused trouble, I apologise", which like Mori before him is doubling-down with insincerity. The fact that there was a huge bunch of reporters in front of him means there was no "if" about it.

Forget the biting, why on earth would he ask to have the medal put on himself? Big ego or what?

If he's doing this to get attention then its definitely working... his video of biting the medal has made it to Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg etc..

Putting a medal over one's neck in first place is a bad manner and shouldn't be happening.

But the important thing is this mayor falsified petition that he filed trying to kick out Aichi-ken governor and there was no public outcry. Now for this supid thing there is out of proportion (7000 telephone calls, etc., etc.) Go figure Japanese taxpayers priorities!

But the important thing is this mayor falsified petition that he filed trying to kick out Aichi-ken governor and there was no public outcry.

Such a chump move. Playing dirty is one thing- but you go get caught fake petitioning?

What a piece of hot garbage. Slimy too. Get with it Nagoya! Time to Take out your Trash.

And this news.

Everyone is doing stupid during COVID.

especially people going out and spread COVID. The current increase of cases is because of this.

What a hayseed! Maybe he's related to Mori.

Sounds about right.

A Japanese political “leader” doing buffoonish activities like a typical junior high school kid.

It’s just this was caught in pictures.

Complete doofus. Yes, he was obviously unashames and thought 'Ah, silly girl, This will all blow over, I'm the most important person I know.'

But it was such an insult the story has stuck, even CNN reporting the medal will be replaced (I'm happy they will do that)and he has been forced to apologize.

Vote all of these senile tax guzzling fools out of office. Please.

He asked why she wasn't married and if romance was forbidden for her.

Aaaaand had her put her medal on him..which he bit cuz Covid is fake and he's a moron ??

I thought so it was weird he bit that gold medal. Whatever for?

What an idiot!

I’m really sorry that I hurt the treasure of the gold medalist,” Kawamura told reporters Thursday.The mayor said the medal was undamaged, though he offered to pay for the cost of a new one.

Goto, however, has accepted the International Olympic Committee's offer of a replacement, according to Japanese media reports.

The medal bite has become a staple of Olympic photo-ops — but for the winners themselves, not others.

Japanese media:Forest for the trees; mountains out of molehills.

There are a thousand other Japanese politicians and bureaucrats guilty of offenses orders worse than Kawamura if you just look over the headlines of the past few weeks!!

I'm glad the young lady decided to accept the replacement. No need to hang on to a damaged medal.

The medal needs to be preserved forever and put on permanent display as an example of politicians ignorance, arrogance, and condescending stupidity.

Is he a dog?

Real gold is soft. In centuries past when gold coins were used they were often melted down and mixed with other metals before being recast as a larger number of new but worthless adulterated coins. It was an early form of counterfeiting money. Appearance wise there was enough gold that they looked genuine. Biting the coin was a way to judge its hardness and by inference whether or not the gold had been adulterated with other metals. Same for gold jewelry and other gold artifacts.

It’s what I’d expect from a cheeky 12 year old. Waiting cowardly till the Olympic foreign press had gone is what I’d expect from a 12 year old.

Just the mere fact that he insisted she adorn him with the medal is concerning.

I'm sure he was just trying to clown around, but you don't do that with something someone else won.