The women’s gymnastics events will commence at the Bercy Arena in Paris on July 28, and Japan’s women’s gymnastics team so far only has one Olympic bronze medal to their name. But they have been looking to change that this time around in the French capital. The women’s team was supposed to consist of Shoko Miyata, Rina Kishi, Mana Okamura, Haruka Nakamura, and Kohane Ushioku, who would be the youngest to compete in the Olympics. This would’ve been the first Olympics for all five of them. While this is a monumental feat for all the gymnasts, one of them might not make an appearance at the arena.

In a shocking turn of events, a 19-year-old athlete has been suspended by her country’s Gymnastics Association merely days before the upcoming Summer Games. After this decision, her participation in the Olympics remains unclear. Reports have since been emerging all around the globe with statements from her country’s gymnastics committee’s executives and the gymnast’s coach himself.

19-year-old-athlete’s future in the French Capital remains uncertain

The suspension of the youngster was previously kept under wraps, as the Japan Gymnastics Association’s head, Hikaru Tanaka, stated that the gymnast was absent from Wednesday’s (July 17) training sessions “for certain reasons.” It wasn’t until a fan broke the news of the apparent suspension on Twitter (now X) that some of the details of the incident were disclosed to the world.

In the post that was captioned, “Miyata Shoko appears to be out of Paris for… smoking?” It was revealed that the 19-year-old who was going to captain the gymnastics team at the Olympics this year was scratched off the team due to suspicion of violating JGA’s code of conduct. As per the rules, the legal age for these activities is documented to be allowed only after a person is 20 years of age. The JGA was informed of the incident via an anonymous source, prompting them to look into the gymnast’s alleged smoking and drinking habits, which she later admitted indulging herself in, for the press.

The Juntendo University student will now be sent back home from her Monaco training camp, awaiting further investigation into the matter. In the turn of events that led to Shoko Miyata admitting to these allegations on Thursday, it was revealed that she has been partaking in drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes while not being busy training during her June-July stay at the National Training Center in Tokyo. Since the incident took place, JGA officials and Miyata’s coach have come forward with their statements.

JGA’s secretary in general, Kenji Nishimura, released a statement to the Tokyo press emphasizing that “with her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” highlighting the fact that the gymnast “looked exhausted” during her training in Monaco. Miyata’s coach, Mutsumi Harada, came to his student’s defense, stressing the fact that her sport’s pressure might have gotten to her. To quote him, “She was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure. I would implore people to understand that.” According to The Japan Times, to douse the ongoing flames evident in the nationwide fury incited by the incident, JGA chairman Tadashi Fujita came forward with a hasty statement of apology, saying, “I offer my sincere apologies for causing a great amount of trouble to many people over Miyata… I’m very sorry.”

Miyata’s own social media posts and her statement of declaration regarding the upcoming Paris performance, saying that she will do her best as the team’s captain, which was posted before the incident, have since been deleted, inciting a divisive outcry among the fans, with some stating that the expulsion is a ‘crime against humanity,’ and others echoing sentiments that are similar to those of JGA. The multitude of mixed feelings in the Japanese gymnastics fan community comes as no surprise, as the youngster was deemed the fan favorite due to her impressive performances leading up to the Olympics.

Just in April earlier this year, she won her first national championship at the All Japan Championships, followed by her third consecutive claim to the NHK Cup in May, successfully punching her ticket to the French capital. Shoko Miyata also made heads turn back in 2022 when she made her debut at the World Championships. Her stellar performance on the balance beam helped her clinch a bronze, while she was eight in the all-around event. This year, Japan’s gymnastics team was looking to take a shot at winning their first all-around medal since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. With her participation status up in the air, many are concerned that this feat might now seem impossible. It also brought up concerns about who from the alternates would replace the captain in the French capital.

The gymnastics community is nothing short of appalled by JGA’s decision against Shoko Miyata

After the news broke of her possible exclusion from the Olympics, fans weren’t too pleased with how the situation played out. They rushed to social media to rally behind Miyata Shoko and voice their opinions. One fan stated, “JGA’s rigidity has a history of shooting themselves in the foot. This is so dumb oh my god.” Back in 2022, the civil law was revised to lower the adulthood age from 20 to 18. However, this did not affect the legal age for alcohol and smoking. The legal age for this would still require an individual to be 20 and above.

Echoing the sentiments of many, one simply expressed, “Free my girl, she didn’t do anything wrong.” The support continues to pour in for the fan favorite, despite it being a legal violation. Many are hoping that the JGA will still allow the gymnast to compete in the French capital. Another fan pointed out how “This would be devastating for the Japanese team.” Highlighting the fact that missing their captain from the team will result in a measurable blow to the Japanese women gymnasts’ performances on the global stage. Considering Shoko’s performances since her debut—like her bronze win in the 2022 World Championships in balance beams—have seldom failed to showcase she had the potential to clinch an Olympic gold for the nation, the statement boasts nothing but the truth. 

Statements like “wow… in shock… it’s so severe for “just” a cigarette… so sad for her…Do we know if at least it can be replaced? (by chiaki?) because this “withdraw” is not medical and the deadline to announce the teams was July 8” shows further concern regarding the country’s gymnastics hopes for this century, not just this season. Ever since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics bronze win, Japan hasn’t been able to claim a single medal to its name.

Now, not only is Miyata’s presence at the Summer Games undetermined, but there hasn’t been any news about who would replace her this close to the Olympics. The nationwide sense of devastation was present in another fan’s comment, as they stated, “Japan and France are having a brainless fed-off i honestly kind find a word that is derogatory enough to describe my feelings towards Japan Fed about this”. Many chose to focus on the logistical side of the story, saying, “This is f*cking stupid. She wasn’t even smoking in Japan. She’s in Monaco. What is the legal age for smoking in Monaco? 16 right?” As is evident from the influx of buzz all over social media, Shoko Miyata clearly ignited major hope for her country’s natives, and all they wanted to see was for her to recreate her previous performances at the Bercy Arena.

The 2024 Paris Games are set to commence on July 26th. Miyata’s countrymen are still finding themselves unable to justify her suspension, despite how severe the violation is, and are hoping that she isn’t entirely removed from the captaincy or her team. Do you agree with the Japan Gymnastics Association’s decision? Or are you looking forward to watching Miyata Shoko step onto the mat at Bercy Arena? Let us know in the comments below!