Japan athlete compelled to return Olympic Gold medal after Nagoya Mayor bites it off

In a bizarre fold of events, Japan's athlete Miu Goto is compelled to replace her Gold medal earned at the Tokyo Olympics with a fresh one after the Mayor of her hometown chomped it down. The Mayor of the city of Nagoya earned himself internet infamy and rare rebuke for the damage caused. 

Mayor Takashi Kawamura was denounced on social media for disregarding COVID-19 etiquette and related protocols with the star athlete's Gold medal. Mayor's stunt occurred when the 20-year-old Gold medalist hailing from the city, visited the municipal government following the team's victory over the US at the mega sports event.

Nagoya mayor bites Olympic medal

In the incident that took place on August 11, Kawamura pulled down his mask and put Goto's Gold medal around his neck and between his teeth as he stood in front of a backdrop used for a press briefing that typically asks persons to maintain COVID norms. COVID-aware compatriots criticised the Mayor's act of biting the medal of victorious softball pitcher Goto into his mouth as the cameras were rolling. 

Japan's Mayor apologizes for biting Olympic's Gold medal

Later, the Japanese Mayor apologised for his actions saying, "I forgot my position as Nagoya Mayor and acted in an extremely inappropriate way."

Biting medals to test for gold was a common gesture among victorious athletes in the pre-COVID era but it is frowned upon especially as the number of cases has risen rapidly in Japan since the Olympics commenced on July 23. 

Interestingly, the official handle of Tokyo 2020 shared an image in relation to this common gesture by its winners. 

"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," they posted

The callousness on Mayor's part drew fire from the public and other athletes as well as Toyota Motor Corp which owns the Red Terriers softball team on which Goto plays. Toyota dominated the economy of the region in Central Japan where her hometown is located.

In a statement, the automaker said, "It is unfortunate that he was unable to feel admiration and respect for the athlete. And it is extremely regrettable that he was unable to give consideration to infection prevention."