The captain of Japan’s gymnastics team has been sent home from France and will not compete in the Olympics later this month for allegedly violating the team’s ban on smoking and drinking alcohol.
Shoko Miyata, 19, captain of her country’s women’s artistic gymnastics team, left Japan’s training camp in Monaco on Thursday after an investigation found she may have violated Japan Gymnastics Association rules, CBS News partner BBC reported Friday.
“With her confirmation and after discussions between all parties, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) Secretary General Kenji Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo.
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Mutsumi Harada, the 19-year-old’s personal coach, called Miyata’s actions reckless but acknowledged she was struggling to cope with the “pressure” of competing at the Games.
“She was going through her days under a lot of pressure. I implore people to understand that,” Harada said, wiping away tears, according to the BBC.
Miyata is the reigning Japanese national champion. The women’s team, which is not considered a contender for a team medal in Paris, will now compete with four athletes instead of five, the JGA said.
“We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for this,” JGA President Tadashi Fujita said, bowing deeply along with other officials including Harada, according to Reuters.
Athletes’ mental health took center stage at the recent Tokyo Olympics, when American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles withdrew from some competitions.
Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games and will take place from July 27 to August 5.
