Tokyo Olympics logo designer endured 'unbearable' harassment

The designer of a logo for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has said he asked organisers to yank the scandal-hit emblem due to unbearable harassment he faced in the wake of plagiarism allegations.

Kenjiro Sano said online taunts and what he claimed were inaccurate media reports had pushed him to "the limit of what humans can bear".

His comments late Tuesday came as Tokyo's Olympics organisers scrapped the event's logo in the latest mishap for the Games, after a costs furore forced plans for a $2 billion new national stadium to be torn up.

The decision -- which came amid plagiarism claims and mounting questions about Sano's credibility -- capped an embarrassing month for Olympic officials, as the ditching of the stadium means a new showpiece facility may only be ready a few months before the global event.

Sano, who has denied claims he copied a Belgian designer's work to create the Olympics logo, said in a statement that he received taunting emails and abusive messages over the affair.

Pictures of family members and other relatives had also been released online, he added.

Tokyo's Olympic emblem has been swept up in controversy since its unveiling in July after Belgian Olivier Debie said it copied work he had done for a local theatre company.

He took the International Olympic Committee to court to block it from using the logo.

The IOC has rejected the claims and Japanese Olympic bosses last week insisted they had no plans to change the logo, but they reversed that decision on Tuesday under mounting public pressure.

The emblem is based around the letter "T" -- for Tokyo, tomorrow and team -- with a red circle said to represent a beating heart.

The theatre's design features a similar shape in white against a black background.

Sano insists he did not copy Debie's work, but he has admitted that his team copied someone else's designs for work they did on a beer promotion campaign for Japanese drinks giant Suntory.

Officials said Tuesday they withdrew the logo because of slumping public confidence and evidence that Sano had improperly swiped Internet images to highlight locations where his logo could be displayed.

The decision was not in response to Debie's lawsuit, they added.

Also Wednesday, the TBS television network said Tokyo's metropolitan government had earmarked about 46 million yen ($382,000) in advertising and other fees for the now-ditched logo.

In recent days, Olympic sponsors including national carrier Japan Airlines have started using the logo in their advertising campaigns, and the changes could deal a blow to lucrative sponsorship deals.

Source: AFP