Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of Japan’s women’s artistic gymnastics team for the Paris Olympics 2024, is set to leave her team.
Miyata is facing a potential removal over alleged violations of the team’s conduct code. According to Japan’s Kyodo News, the Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) is investigating claims of violating the code of conduct for smoking by Miyata and expects to send her home from their training camp in Monaco (France). This puts her participation in the upcoming Summer Games in serious doubt.
Absent from the training session
Concerns first arose when Miyata was absent from a media-open training session on Wednesday. JGA officials attributed her absence to “certain reasons” but provided no further details. To verify the allegations, the JGA plans to interview Miyata alongside officials from her Juntendo University team upon her return to Japan.
Potential loss for rising star
A rising star in the sport, Miyata secured a bronze medal in the balance beam and an eighth-place finish in the all-around competition at her debut world championships in 2022. She further solidified her position by clinching her first national championship title in April and achieving a historic third consecutive victory at the NHK Cup in May, which secured her Olympic berth.
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