Koji Murofushi, sports director for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, speaks to the media about his appointment as Japan Sports Agency commissioner in Tokyo on Sept 11, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO - Tokyo 2020 Sports Director Koji Murofushi has left to join the Japan Sports Agency, the organising committee said on Friday, a departure that comes just 10 months before the start of the rearranged Games.

The former Olympic gold medallist hammer thrower was one of the key public-facing officials at the organising committee.

The former Olympic gold medallist hammer thrower was one of the key public-facing officials at the organising committee

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Murofushi had been involved with the committee since 2014 and helped design the event schedules for both the Olympics and Paralympics, which were delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He will take over as commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency, an organisation aiming to promote sport nationwide and which is involved in planning for the Olympics.

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“I know that Mr. Murofushi will prove a dependable partner at the helm of Japanese sports administration as we work together toward the success of the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori in a statement.