Japanese mourn loss of 'Uncle Olympics'

TOKYO - A Japanese mega-fan of the Olympics who attended every summer Games since Tokyo in 1964 has died, just over a year before his home city was to again host the global showcase.

Tokyo businessman Naotoshi Yamada, 92, who died on March 9, was a national celebrity in his own right with his repeated, gleeful appearances in Olympic grandstands.

"Uncle Olympics", as he came to be known, was an omnipresent fixture for Japanese TV audiences.