Japan gymnastics team captain, 19, banned from Olympics for smoking and drinking – National
Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of the Japanese women’s artistic gymnastics team, has withdrawn from the team for next season. Paris Games after violating the team’s code of conduct by smoking, the Japan Gymnastics Association said Friday.
JGA officials said Miyata arrived in Japan on Thursday after leaving the team’s training camp in Monaco for an investigation, which confirmed the violation, including alcohol consumption.
The women’s team would compete with four athletes instead of five, the JGA said at a news conference.
“We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for this,” JGA President Tadashi Fujita said, bowing deeply along with other officials, including Miyata’s personal coach, Mutsumi Harada.
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Hopes were high for the Japanese women’s gymnastics team, which was looking to win a team medal at the Paris Games for the first time since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Miyata was expected to lead a team made up entirely of new Olympians and teenagers after securing his spot in Paris in May with a third straight NHK trophy.
Coach Harada said that although Miyata’s driving had been reckless, she had been under extreme pressure to perform at the highest level.
“She was going through her days with a lot of pressure,” he said, wiping away tears. “I implore people to understand that.”
The mental health of young athletes took center stage at the recent Tokyo Olympics, as gymnastics superstar Simone Biles withdrew from one competition after another.
Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games and will take place from July 27 to August 5.
