“I was under a lot of pressure” Gymnast Shoko Miyata withdraws from Olympic team after smoking and drinking were discovered[Hodo Station](July 19, 2024)

On the 19th, the Japan Gymnastics Association held an emergency press conference and announced that Shoko Miyata (19), a member of the women’s national team for the Paris Olympics, had withdrawn from the team due to smoking and drinking. Kenji Nishimura, Executive Director of the Japan Gymnastics Association, said, “We have confirmed that she smoked sometime between the end of June and July. It was a single instance of smoking in a private setting. We have heard that it was somewhere in Tokyo. She also consumed alcohol during the same period, from the end of June to the beginning of July. It was in a room in the athlete village at the National Training Center.” It all started with an internal report. On the 15th of this month, in Monaco, where the training camp was held, information about Miyata’s smoking was sent to the training headquarters. On the 16th, Japan national team coach Harada confirmed this with her. They will return to Japan together on the 18th. With both her parents present, the facts were confirmed again, and she admitted to it. Miyata will turn 20 in September. Her rapid growth began during her high school years. At the 2022 World Championships, she will win a bronze medal in the balance beam event. At the All Japan Championships in April this year, she won her first individual all-around title, and has now qualified to compete in the Olympics as an ace. Last month, she demonstrated the events she will be competing in at the Olympic stage at a trial competition. Shoko Miyata (11th of last month) “It’s really strange that I’m at the top, but at the beginning I really thought about what to do, but I think I have to be the core of the team.” Why did she smoke? The word “pressure” was repeated at the press conference. Kenji Nishimura, Executive Director of the Japan Gymnastics Association, said, “Despite the many pressures I felt toward my goal, I ended up doing so.” Naoshi Fujita, Chairman of the Japan Gymnastics Association, said, “Japan’s gymnasts are always expected to take a high position. They are exposed to a lot of pressure every day to achieve that.” All members of the Japanese national team were in their teens when they first competed. There were high hopes that the team would win a medal for the first time in 60 years since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Japan women’s gymnastics coach Mutsumi Harada: “I’m not making any excuses, but I hope you understand that she was living her days with the immense pressure and the results she had to achieve.” The association has clearly established a code of conduct for its athletes. Code of conduct for Japan national team athletes and officials: “In principle, smoking is prohibited in the places where the Japan national team is active, even if you are over 20 years old. A complete ban will be implemented over several years from 2016.” And yet this situation still occurred. It seems that they have no choice but to take on the Olympics with just the four of them. Here are the voices of the town. Part-time worker (25): “I think it’s a shame. If she hadn’t smoked, she could have done well.” Student (21): “It’s not like she did doping or anything that insults sports, so I think it’s too harsh to completely ban her from participating.” Company employee (50): “Even at Koshien, someone who caused problems and worked hard can’t participate. It’s harsh if you say it’s harsh, but it’s what they got.”
[テレ朝ｎｅｗｓ] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp