Olympics: Marathon champ Takahashi among 12 new organizing executives The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee's councilors announced 12 new female members for the committee's executive board Wednesday, including Sydney Olympic marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi and Paralympic Alpine skier Kuniko Obinata. The 12 new members bring the number of women on the 45-member board to 19, raising female participation to above the 40 percent target set by the committee's new President Seiko Hashimoto, from 20 percent before their addition. Combined file photo shows Sydney Olympic marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi (L) and two-time Paralympic Alpine skiing champion Kuniko Obinata. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Also joining the committee as directors are Naoko Saiki, an executive board member of the Japan Rugby Football Union and former chief of the Foreign Ministry's Economic Affairs Bureau, Kaori Sasaki, the president of eWoman Inc., a networking site for women in business, Chukyo University sports science professor Kyoko Raita, the head of the Japan Society for Sport and Gender Studies, and Mitsue Haga, the representative of the Noboribetsu Ashiri no Kai, an Ainu cultural organization.