A Japanese mayor bit off more than he could chew and was forced to apologize Thursday after chomping down on an Olympic gold medal, grossing out its recipient and the millions of viewers who were watching.
Softball pitcher Miu Goto placed her gold medal around Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura’s neck during a celebratory press conference following her team’s Olympic win against the United States. That’s when Kawamura pulled down his face mask, grinned, and bit down. He made his mark as he stood in front of a backdrop that urged people to wash their hands and socially distance themselves to prevent COVID-19 infections.
7 days ago: ?? Japan wins the Toko 2020 Olympic Gold Medal in Softball ? #Tokyo2020 #Olympics #Softball #Gold @JSAteamJAPAN https://t.co/U1dv5QqSYn
— WBSC #Baseball ⚾ #Tokyo2020 (@WBSC) August 3, 2021
The move earned him and other chomp-happy people a jab from the official Tokyo 2020 Twitter account that said, “Medals are not edible,” and he received a rare rebuke from Toyota Motor Corp.
We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020 medals are not edible!
Our ??? medals are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the Japanese public.
So, you don’t have to bite them… but we know you still will ? #UnitedByEmotion
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 25, 2021
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The car giant is one of Nagoya’s largest employers and owns the team Goto plays for, the Red Terriers. The company slammed Kawamura for being “unable to feel admiration and respect” for Goto and called his actions “extremely regrettable.”
Following Toyota’s verbal flogging, Kawamura released a televised apology, saying he chomped down on the medal to express affection and admiration.
“Winning a gold medal was something I very much admired. If I caused any trouble, I am sorry,” he said.
However, his apology has not been well received.
The spike in COVID-19 cases in Tokyo has everyone on high alert and in a seemingly unforgiving mood.
Trending posts on Twitter said the mayor had turned Goto’s gold medal into a germ medal, which in Japanese is pronounced the same. Others called for Goto to get a replacement medal so she wouldn’t have to look at the mayor’s dental imprints for the rest of her life.
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Naohisa Takato, who won a gold medal in judo, tweeted he “saw the video and heard his teeth making a clicking noise.”
“I handle my medal very carefully so that it won’t get scratched,” he added. “The fact that Goto maintained her composure and didn’t get angry was incredible. I would have cried.”
Mugging for the media by biting down on medals is common but not something widely practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is unclear if Kawamura will be allowed to be within biting distance from any other medals in the near future.
