TOKYO prosecutors have questioned the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) over allegations that dubious payments were made by the bid team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

    Tsunekazu Takeda said he was questioned last week and that he told prosecutors what he “has said so far,” indicating that he denied any wrongdoing, Kyodo news agency reported Wednesday.

    The questioning of Takeda and others involved in the bid was voluntary and conducted at the request of French authorities, who have been looking into payments worth more than US$2.2 million paid by Tokyo’s bid team to Singaporean consultancy Black Tidings prior to winning the bid for the 2020 Summer Games in September 2013.

    Black Tidings was headed by Ian Tan Tong Hon, who is known to be close to Papa Massata Diack, son of disgraced former International Association of Athletics Federations President Lamine Diack.(SD-Agencies)