The captain of the Japanese gymnastics team was sent home from France and will not participate at the Olympic Games later this month for allegedly breaking a team ban on smoking and drinking alcohol.
Shoko Miyata, 19, who is the captain of her country’s women’s artistic gymnastics team, left Japan’s training camp in Monaco on Thursday after an investigation found that she allegedly violated the Japan Gymnastics Association’s rules, CBS News partner BBC reported on Friday.
“With her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) secretary general Kenji Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo.
Mutsumi Harada – the 19-year-old athlete’s personal coach – called the Miyata’s actions reckless but acknowledged that she was struggling with the “pressure” of competing at the Games.
“She was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure. I would implore people to understand that,” said Harada, wiping away tears, according to the BBC.
Miyata is the reigning Japanese national champion. The women’s squad, which is not considered a challenger for a team medal in Paris, will now compete with four athletes instead of five, the JGA said.
“We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for this,” JGA President Tadashi Fujita said, bowing deeply along with other officials including Harada, according to Reuters.
Mental health facing athletes took center stage at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo when U.S. gymnastics superstar Simone Biles pulled out from some of the competitions.
Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games and will be held from July 27 to Aug. 5.
