We’re now just one week away from the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. One of the sports that is always a fan favorite is artistic gymnastics, specifically on the women’s side.
But, one of the top gymnasts in the world on one of the best teams in the world will not be there, and it’s all for a very strange reason.
With Russia not sending any gymnasts to Paris due to political reasons this year, that means that a likely medal slot in the team competition has opened up. One of the teams that was seen as likely to pounce on that slot was Japan. They’ve long been a men’s powerhouse, but their women’s team hasn’t been able to close the deal on a team medal in 60 years, though they’ve come close.
Their most important athlete coming into Paris was likely Shoko Miyata. The 19-year-old finished eighth in the all-around at the 2022 World Championship, and was the captain and elder stateswoman on a very young Japanese team.
But, she will not be in Paris, as the Japanese federation confirmed that she will miss the Olympics after getting caught smoking, presumably a cigarette, in Monaco.
Smoking cigarettes is illegal in Japan until the age of 20, and while they were out of the country when it happened, it appears to be considered a very serious offense.
According to Reuters, the Japanese Gymnastics Association confirmed rumors that Miyata was sent home to Japan on Thursday for smoking, and confirmed that she had also drank alcohol. But, her coach suggested that smoking may have been a result of her breaking due to the intense pressure and that people should be understanding of the situation.
Here’s where it gets weird, though. There’s nothing stopping Japan from replacing Miyata on their now four-member team. But, according to Reuters, they will not replace her, and will only send four athletes to Paris. This doesn’t make a lot of sense, as an injury in Paris during the Olympics. could now be tremendously costly.