Shoko Miyata of Japan’s Gymnastics Team Withdraws From Paris Olympics

Japan’s Olympic gymnastics team will head into the Paris Games this week without its captain, Shoko Miyata, after she withdrew from the team following an investigation that found she had violated the squad’s code of conduct by smoking and drinking alcohol.

In a news conference last week, officials with the Japan Gymnastics Association, which conducted the investigation, announced Miyata’s withdrawal from the Olympics, saying that “both parties discussed the matter” and that Miyata had decided not to compete.

The Japan Gymnastics Association’s code of conduct forbids drinking or smoking while in official team programs, regardless of age. The legal age for drinking and smoking in Japan is 20; Miyata is 19.

Miyata allegedly violated the code of conduct on two occasions; once in a private residence in Tokyo, and again in a classroom of the Athlete’s Village of Japan’s National Training Center, according to gymnastics officials.

Her withdrawal spurred debate in Japan and elsewhere. While some noted that it was Miyata who ostensibly withdrew herself from the competition, others said the outcome was unduly harsh in a country where high athletic standards can place excessive pressure on young competitors.

“I think it was a problem, but I don’t think it was serious enough to strip her of her right to represent Japan,” Dai Tamesue, a three-time Olympic hurdler for Japan, said in Japanese in a post on X.