Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata's Olympic dreams came to a shocking end on 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 kicked off the team following an investigation, the BBC reported.
Smoking is a violation of the rules of the Japan Gymnastics Association.
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Winner Shoko Miyata poses with the trophy on day three of the NHK Artistic Gymnastics Trophy at Takasaki Arena on May 18, 2024 in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan. (Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
“With his confirmation and after discussions between all parties, it has been decided that he will withdraw from the Olympic Games,” 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 he trained to make the Olympic team.
“He spent his days under enormous pressure,” Harada told Reuters. “I ask people to understand that.”
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Tadashi Fujita, right, president of the Japan Gymnastics Association, and Kenji Nishimura, CEO of the Japan Gymnastics Association, hold a news conference in Tokyo on 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 Olympian to withdraw from the Games without being injured or ill, according to Kyodo News.
Japan was looking to upset the sport and win a medal for the first time since 1964.
Shoko Miyata competes during the women's floor exercise on day three of the NHK Artistic Gymnastics Trophy at Takasaki Arena on May 18, 2024 in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan. (Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
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Miyata was the favourite to do so. She won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool and took two silvers and a bronze at the 2022 Asian Championships in Doha.
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