Caught smoking: 19-year-old leaves Olympia team
Only two medals have Japan's gymnasts earned in the long history of the Olympic Games, with Shoko Miyata hoping for a third in Paris. However, she must leave France before the competitions begin due to serious misconduct.
Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata has been sent home from the Paris Olympics for consuming alcohol and smoking. The 19-year-old violated the code of conduct, confirmed the Japanese Gymnastics Association. In Japan, smoking and drinking are only allowed from the age of 20.
"Following her confirmation and discussions on all sides, it was decided that she will leave the Olympics," said Kenji Nishimura, General Secretary of the Japanese Gymnastics Association, in Tokyo.
The English "Guardian" reports that Miyata and other Japanese gymnasts are currently preparing for the Games in Monaco, in the south of France. However, she missed training on a Wednesday. Hikaru Tanaka, Development Chief of the Association, initially only vaguely commented that the athlete had missed the team "for certain reasons."
Miyata was a medal contender in France, having won bronze on the beam at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool. In the beginning of the year, she also won the title in the All-around at the Japanese Championships. The "Kyodo News" from Japan describes Miyata's Olympic departure as a "severe setback for the team, which had aimed to win a medal in the team event for the first time since the 1964 Games in Tokyo."
In 2021, when the postponed Summer Games were held again in Japan's capital due to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, Mai Murakami won bronze on the floor with the first individual medal for a Japanese woman ever and the second since team bronze in 1964. The men, however, have won the most medals of all nations that have competed in the Olympics, with a total of 101 (33-gold, 34-silver, 34-bronze).
Despite being a contender for medals in Gymnastics at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata's participation was halted due to her involvement in smoking and consuming alcohol, which is against the code of conduct. Regrettably, Smoking became a significant issue even during her preparations for the Olympic Games in Monaco.
