Gymnastics: Japan teen Shoko Miyata out of Olympics for smoking, drinking
Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of Japan women's artistic gymnastics team, withdrew from the Paris Olympics on Friday after admitting to smoking and drinking, the Japan Gymnastics Association said, Kyodo reports.
The association told a press conference the decision was made Thursday after Miyata returned to Tokyo from the team's training base in Monaco and admitted to drinking once and smoking once since late June.
Smoking and drinking are prohibited in Japan for those under 20. The allegation surfaced after related information was provided on Monday, the JGA said.
The Japanese Olympic Committee said it believes Miyata will be the first athlete to withdraw from an Olympics who was not either hurt or ill.
The JGA said it is likely that no replacement for Miyata will be permitted because her absence is not due to injury or sickness, stating it "has no option but to compete with four gymnasts."
Miyata was not seen at Wednesday's training when it was open to the media. The JGA stated Miyata told the hearing that she engaged in smoking and drinking "due to numerous pressures from the competitive targets that had been set."
Miyata's absence will be a huge blow for the women's squad, aiming to claim its first Olympic team medal since 1964 in Tokyo.
The Kyoto Prefecture native won bronze in the balance beam and came eighth in the all-around at her world championships debut in 2022. She won her maiden national championship this April and claimed her third straight NHK Cup title in May to book a ticket to her first Olympics.
