Tokyo’s governor has apologized for criticizing Istanbul and Islam, as his city tries to beat out others to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
Naoki Inose, also chairman of Tokyo's Olympic committee, ripped Istanbul in an interview with The New York Times last week, saying its infrastructure and facilities weren’t sophisticated.
“Islamic countries, the only thing they share in common is Allah and they are fighting with each other, and they have classes," he added.
Inose apologized Tuesday during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, Reuters reports.
"My remarks caused misunderstandings among people from Muslim countries, so I would like to unequivocally apologize," Inose said.
Along with Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid are the other front-runners to host the games.
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