The captain of the Japanese gymnastics team, Shoko Miyata, will not participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which kicks off on Friday, July 26.

The 19-year-old confessed to drinking alcohol and smoking on two separate occasions while preparing for the upcoming global event there by breaking the team’s code of conduct.

She revealed that the drinking took place in a room at the Athletes Village of the National Training Center, and the smoking incident occurred at a private location in Tokyo, according to the Japanese Gymnastics Association (JGA) executive director, Kenji Nishimura.

“She engaged in smoking and drinking due to numerous pressures from the competitive targets that had been set,” Nishimura told reporters.

In Japan, the legal age for drinking and smoking is 20. However, the Japanese Gymnastics Association’s codes of conduct prohibit athletes from smoking and drinking during team activities, regardless of age.

At 19 years old, Miyata not only broke the law but also violated her sport’s code of conduct. After appearing before the JGA, it was decided that Miyata would be pulled out from competing in the games as part of her punishment.

Miyata, who won bronze on the balance beam at the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, was set to captain Japan’s women’s team of debut Olympians.

“It’s not just Ms. Miyata’s responsibility. I believe the entire Gymnastics Association is responsible. Ms. Miyata must atone for the mistake she made, but we will do our utmost to support her so she can take a new step toward the future,” said JGA chief Tadashi Fujita, while apologizing to the Olympic fraternity and the Japanese people on behalf of Shoko Miyata.

The country’s women’s team is trying to win its first team medal since the 1964 Tokyo Games.

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