Tokyo, Japan, November 6, 2023: The Japanese Olympic Committee said its President, Yasuhiro Yamashita, has had spine surgery and no return date has been set after he fell while off-duty, Kyodo News reports.
The 66-year-old Yamashita, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics gold medalist in the men's judo open category, suffered a cervical spine injury on Sunday, October 29 before having surgery and being hospitalized.
Vice President Yuko Mitsuya, a former women's volleyball player, will deputize in his absence.
Yamashita assumed the JOC presidency in June 2019 and was re-elected for a third term this June.
Yamashita, also an International Olympic Committee member, left his role as the All-Japan Judo Federation President the same month, citing strain as one reason for his decision.