Shoko Miyata- out for discipline violation?

[Angelika]

Will this mean Shoko is no longer part of the team for ever, or just the Olympics?

 

[Puffin]

It was like that in 2006 when I was there for a study abroad. I'm sure things have changed, but I'm still surprised that an athlete smoking had such severe consequences.

I think it it has been taken more seriously for Shoko because she is under the legal smoking age which is 20 in Japan

I guess it's like if a US gymnast was caught drinking under age at a competition - sure many US teens drink but they are below the legal age in the US. In fact it was rumoured that Shayla Worley was sent home from the USAG tour for under age drinking at 19.

 

[MaryClare]

I get the impression (from the 3 hours that I spent in a port in north Hokkaido) that whilst Japan has a high number of smokers, there is a great deal of gender bias. Presumably why Uchimura was never punished in such a way.

 

[tempest]

I thought someone else this rule is fairly new so maybe it didn't exist during Uchimura's time

 

[MaryClare]

I thought someone else this rule is fairly new so maybe it didn't exist during Uchimura's time

It may not have explicitly existed within the policies of gymnastics federation, but the legal age to smoke in Japan has been 20 for decades, and it’s always been the case that Japanese citizens are expect to abide by Japanese laws when overseas

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

You even need a special card to buy cigarettes. I assume they take the smoking age very seriously.