July 19th 2024.
Shoko Miyata, the star gymnast and captain of Japan's women's team, has been sent back home from Monaco amidst a probe into her conduct. It is a sudden and shocking turn of events with the Olympics just a week away, and it has dealt a major blow to the Japan Gymnastics Association.
The association launched an internal investigation after receiving information on Monday that Miyata, who is only 19 years old, had been drinking and smoking at the National Training Center in Tokyo. Upon speaking with JGA officials on Thursday, Miyata admitted to her wrongdoings - she had been consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes in late June and July. According to JGA executive Kenji Nishimura, Miyata turned to these vices as a way to cope with the pressure to perform well. As a result, she is devastated to miss out on the upcoming Paris Games.
JGA chairman Tadashi Fujita expressed his apologies for the trouble caused by Miyata's actions, stating, "I offer my sincere apologies for causing a great amount of trouble to many people over Miyata. I'm very sorry." Now, Miyata has been sent back to Japan from Monaco, where the Japanese team had been training for the 2024 Olympics.
Miyata's actions violated the JGA's code of conduct, which prohibits national team members from smoking and drinking during team activities. This rule applies even to those who are over the legal age of 20, which is when smoking and drinking are allowed in Japan. The absence of Miyata, who had won a bronze medal in the balance beam event at the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, is a significant blow to the JGA. Her absence will be felt, especially since she had recently clinched a third successive NHK Trophy, solidifying her role as a leader on the Japanese women's team.
While Japan has been dominant in men's gymnastics, the women's teams have not enjoyed the same level of success. However, Mai Murakami did manage to win an individual Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games. It has been quite some time since the women's team has won an Olympic medal, with their last victory being a bronze at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Miyata's absence from the team will surely be felt, but the rest of the team will have to step up and fill the void in her absence.
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