Mayor’s gold medal chomp riles Toyota
The mayor of Japanese city Nagoya earned himself internet infamy and a rare rebuke from Toyota this week for chomping down on an Olympic gold medal at an event meant to celebrate its winner, softballer Miu Goto.
Takashi Kawamura pulled down his mask and put Goto’s medal between his teeth as he stood in front of a backdrop urging people to wash their hands and socially distance to prevent Covid-19 infections.
Trending posts on Twitter said Kawamura had turned Goto’s gold medal into a germ medal, which in Japanese is pronounced the same.
Biting down on medals, which contain only a small amount of actual gold even if they are “gold”, is common among athletes and even prompted a tweet from the official Tokyo2020 account to say “medals are not edible”.
“It is unfortunate that he was unable to feel admiration and respect for the athlete,” Toyota said in a statement.
“And it is extremely regrettable that he was unable to give consideration to infection prevention.”
The world’s biggest carmaker, which owns the Red Terriers softball team that Goto plays for, dominates the economy of the region where the city is located.
“I forgot my position as Nagoya mayor and acted in an extremely inappropriate way. I am fully aware that I should reflect on that,” Kawamura said in a televised apology after Toyota’s statement.
His apparent disregard for coronavirus etiquette in
Japan, where mask wearing is common, comes as Covid-19 cases spike in the country.