Captain of Japan’s women’s artistic gymnastics team, Shoko Miyata, has withdrawn from the Paris games after she violated the team’s code of conduct by smoking.
The Japanese Gymnastics Association (JGA) said 19-year-old Miyata, reigning Japanese national champion, also was drinking alcohol.
Tadashi Fujita, JGA’s president said, “We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for this.” JGA also stated that the women’s squad would consist of four athletes now, instead of five.
Mutsumi Harada, Miyata’s personal coach, said that even though Miyata’s conduct was reckless, she has been struggling with extreme pressure to perform at the highest level for her country. “She was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure. I would implore people to understand that,” Harada said.
By - FZ
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