To provide an optical connecting member capable of positioning and connecting a coated fiber by a simple connecting work with high precision, and a method of fitting the same.An optical connector 1 fitted onto an optical fiber 20 that has a coating 24 on an outer periphery of a glass fiber 21 has a ferrule 40 with a glass fiber insertion hole 42, a fixing portion 30 for fixing the optical fiber 20 that is inserted into the glass fiber insertion hole 42 and is abutted to the short optical fiber 41, an insertion port 42a which is a coating removing portion 10 for removing the coating 24 from an end portion of the optical fiber 20 by an insertion force applied the optical fiber 20 to an inner side of the optical connector 1, a deflection space 16 provided between the fixing portion 30 and the coating removing portion 10 to contain the optical fiber 20 in a deflected state therein, wherein a deflection preventing member 70 for preventing partially a deflection of the optical fiber 20 by shielding a part of an insertion direction of the optical fiber 20 in the deflection space 16 is detachably attached.