Asada Mao falls during the short program.
Former Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro has landed in hot water with netizens for slating national figure skating treasure, Asada Mao, for her performance at the Sochi Olympics.
Asada has not had the best time at Sochi, failing to place for a medal after a disastrous short program. Still, Asada came back to perform a career best in the free program, but it was not enough to get the anticipated bronze for the Japanese team, with Asada ultimately placing sixth.
Mori’s comments have been made all the more controversial given the fact that he is the head of the organising committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and should be supporting rather than slating Japan’s sporting talent. Netizens are concerned that a man in his position should make such gaffes in public.
Comments from Sponchi:
Former PM Mori Says Of Asada Mao: “That Kid Always Falls Over At Key Moments”
Former PM Mori at a Tokyo 2020 Olympics press conference.
On February 20, former Japanese Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro, who is also head of the organising committee for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, stated about the Sochi Winter Olympics figure skating team during a speech in Fukuoka City that “I knew they’d lose. There was nothing embarrassing about putting Asada Mao out to skate”.
Moreover, Mori suggested that in the women’s short programme, Asada Mao, who placed 16th, “took a fantastic fall. That kid always falls over at key moments”.
This strengthened the opinion that had Asada been able to pull off a triple axel (a jump with 3 1/2 turns), then she would have made a comeback from being the underdog in ice dance, and the Japanese team would have been expecting her to get the bronze. Mori sympathised with Asada, saying “Because she was still mentally scarred from falling (in the team competition), I suppose that she really felt as though she should absolutely not fall over in short program”.
Comments from 2ch.net:
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
Sorry about it, but he’s telling it as is.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
He knows about figure skating, huh.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
Mori’s mouth is a disaster w.
It would have been fine if he hadn’t said anything, what a fool…
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
What if then he fell because of his rude remarks.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
I mean he’s not wrong, but he says too much.
It would be pretty hard going if he were the PM now ww.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
So really speaking, this fella can’t tell the difference between things he can say and things he can’t say? w.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
Whatever Mori, you always say something uncalled for at key moments.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
Yeah, Mori, that guy, he’ll always play golf at key moments.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
For someone who doesn’t know a lot, he sure says a lot.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
He’s a genius when it comes to pissing people off.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
Mori, that guy, he’ll always make a verbal gaffe at key moments.
He will also make verbal gaffes at moments that are not all that key.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
He might be right but it’s not something he should say in the position he’s in now.
All Mori ever does is say things he shouldn’t.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
He’s finished as a person.
名無しさん＠恐縮です:
No matter how many years pass, you just don’t change, do you Mori? w
