Shoko Miyata, captain of the Japan women’s artistic gymnastics team, may miss the upcoming Paris Olympics following a reported breach of a smoking ban, according to Kyodo News. The Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) is set to conduct an investigation, which casts doubt on Miyata’s participation in the Games.
The JGA’s code of conduct explicitly prohibits smoking, and Miyata’s absence from Wednesday’s open training session in Monaco was described as being due to “certain reasons” by the JGA’s head of development.
Miyata, who earned a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool, will be interviewed by the JGA and her team from Juntendo University upon her return to Japan.
Japan is seeking its first artistic gymnastics team medal since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The Paris Games are scheduled to begin on 26 July.
