Former athlete Seiko Hashimoto heads Tokyo Olympic Committee Former athlete Seiko Hashimoto heads Tokyo Olympic Committee Tokyo, Feb 18 (Prensa Latina) Japan on Thursday appointed former athlete Seiko Hashimoto president of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to mark greater distance from sexist remarks by the former leader that caused global indignation. The new Tokyo 2020 chief emerged as the favorite since last week and she officially agreed on Thursday to lead the preparations for the summer games to contribute to its success and safety. Hashimoto served as Olympics Minister and was one of two women in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.