Well, that’s one way to blow a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of Japan’s olympic gymnastic team, withdrew Friday from the Olympics over allegations that she smoked and drank alcohol, JGA’s executive director, Kenji Nishimura, told reporters in a press conference July 19.According to a CNN report, Miyata’s alleged activities are in violation of the Japanese Gymnastics Association’s (JGA) code of conduct.
Japan’s star gymnast Shoko Miyata, 19, the captain of the women’s team for the Paris Olympics, has withdrawn from the national team after she admitted to smoking cigarettes and drinking. https://t.co/8nC4f5poPi
— The Japan Times (@japantimes) July 19, 2024
“Both parties discussed the matter and decided to withdraw [Miyata] from the Olympics,” Nishimura said in a statement to the press. Nishimura claimed that Miyata smoked “in a private place at a certain location in Tokyo” and engaged in drinking “in a room in the Athlete Village of the National Training Center.”
“She engaged in smoking and drinking due to numerous pressures from the competitive targets that had been set,” Nishimura added.
According to Kyodo News, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) said that this withdrawal made history as no Olympic gymnast was previously dismissed for such a reason
Miyata’s shocking withdrawal left the team with only four gymnasts to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. No one will reportedly be dispatched to replace her because she did not withdraw on account of an injury or illness.
Miyata won a world championships bronze medal in 2022 and was the first female Japanese gymnast to claim an Olympics medal in 2020 since 1964.
“It’s not just Ms. Miyata’s responsibility. I believe the entire Gymnastics Association is responsible. Ms. Miyata must atone for the crime she committed, though we will do our utmost to support her, so she can take a new step toward the future,” JGA chairman Tadashi Fujita said to CNN.Miyata has appeared to delete her social media account in the fallout of this news.
The qualifying rounds for women’s gymnastics are set to begin July 28.