Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata’s Olympic dreams came to a stunning end Thursday when she was sent home from training camp in Monaco for allegedly violating the team’s smoking ban.
Miyata, the captain of Japan’s gymnastics team, was thrown off the team following an investigation, according to the BBC.
Smoking is a violation of the Japan Gymnastics Association’s rules.
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Winner Shoko Miyata poses with the trophy on day three of the Artistic Gymnastics NHK Trophy at Takasaki Arena May 18, 2024 in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan. (Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
“With her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” Kenji Nishimura, the federation’s secretary general told reporters in Tokyo.
Mutsumi Harada was emotional as he apologized for the incident and explained the pressure Miyata had been facing in recent weeks as she trained to make the Olympic team.
“She was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure,” Harada said, via Reuters. “I would implore people to understand that.”
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Tadashi Fujita, right, president of the Japan Gymnastics Association, and Kenji Nishimura, executive director of the Japan Gymnastics Association, hold a press conference in Tokyo July 19, 2024. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images)
The Japan Gymnastics Association said there was no replacement for Miyata, who is believed to be the first Japanese Olympic athlete to withdraw from the Games without being hurt or sick, according to Kyodo News.
Japan was looking to stun the sport and earn a medal for the first time since 1964.
Shoko Miyata competes in the women’s floor exercise on day three of the Artistic Gymnastics NHK Trophy at Takasaki Arena May 18, 2024, in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan. (Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
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Miyata was the favorite to do it. She won a silver medal in the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool and earned two silvers and a bronze at the 2022 Asian Championships in Doha.
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