TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Olympic gold medal that was bitten by the mayor of Nagoya, landing him in trouble when the central Japanese city received about 4,000 complaints, will be exchanged for a new one, a source close to the matter said Thursday.

       According to the source, the International Olympic Committee, Japanese Olympic Committee and Tokyo Olympic organizers coordinated to make the exchange possible, and Miu Goto, the softball pitcher to whom the medal belonged, agreed.

       Goto is expected to get a replacement for the medal soon. Japan won softball gold by defeating the U.S. 2-0 in a rematch of the 2008 Beijing Olympic final.

       Last week, Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura came under fire for removing his mask and putting the medal between his teeth to pose for photos during a celebratory event.

       Goto, a 20-year-old native of Nagoya, placed the medal around his neck when she visited Nagoya's city hall to report the victory on Aug. 4.

       He was immediately pilloried on social media, where some Olympians questioned the need for a courtesy call and others posted the hashtag #respectathletes.

       Kawamura later apologized for ignoring COVID-19 protocols and for "acting on impulse" and "making the symbol of years and years of hard work dirty."

       Toyota Motor Corp., the Japanese auto giant which owns the Red Terriers softball team that Goto plays for, called his actions "inappropriate" and "extremely regrettable."

       Olympic organizers came out on Twitter to playfully remind athletes not to bite medals, saying, "We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020 medals are not edible!"

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