Japan’s Olympics have got off to the worst possible start. The captain of their women’s gymnastics team Shoko Miyata has withdrawn, or more accurately been obliged to withdraw, after admitting breaking the team’s code of conduct while at their training camp in Monaco.

Her Olympic dream is over and she leaves in disgrace. So, what was this unacceptable behaviour? Well, it appears Miyata smoked a cigarette and drank alcohol (once, for each). Smoking and drinking are prohibited for anyone under the age of 20 in Japan. Miyata is 19.

Miyata’s Olympic dream is over and she leaves in disgrace

JGA’s (Japanese Gymnastic Association) president Tadashi Fujita offered a grovelling apology ‘from the bottom of our hearts’ for the scandal while employing the deepest bow of shame (the ‘dogeza’) at a news conference. Alongside him was Miyata’s similarly contrite personal coach Mutsumi Harada.

Neither the fact that the offences appear to have occurred just once, and outside of Japan, nor that they were apparently due to ‘numerous pressures from the competitive targets that had been set’ (according to the athlete) seem to have been taken into account. She broke the rules. And she’s out.

Rarely........

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