TOKYO — After Japan defeated the United States in the final, a Japanese mayor apologized for biting the Olympic gold medal of a softball player who had made a courtesy visit.
Kawamura apologized to the media on Thursday for injuring the gold medalist’s prize.
The mayor said the medal was unharmed, but he offered to cover the cost of a replacement.
According to Japanese media sources, Goto has accepted the International Olympic Committee’s offer of a replacement.
The medal bite has become a standard part of Olympic photo opportunities — but only for the victors.
In a tweet, Naohisa Takato, a gold medalist in judo for Japan, stated, “I would cry if that happened to me.” “I try not to scratch my own gold medal when I hold it.”
Goto was said to have contemplated preserving the original but finally accepted the IOC’s replacement offer.