![\"ANTWERP,](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-1717295067_c963e8-e1721413181300.jpg?quality=100&w=384&h=216&crop=1\")
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A Japanese Olympic gymnast has\u00a0been sent home after she admitted to underage smoking and drinking.<\/p>\n
According to\u00a0The Japan Times<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0Shoko Miyata<\/strong> had to withdraw from the 2024 Summer Olympics<\/a> after revealing she had smoked cigarettes in her private time and consumed alcohol at the National Training Center in Tokyo which violates the team\u2019s code of conduct.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old captain of the county\u2019s women\u2019s artistic gymnastics team was sent back to Japan on Thursday, July 18, just 10 days before the global competition, the Japanese\u00a0Gymnastics Association (JGA) said on Friday, July 19, per BBC News\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0The Guardian<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe apologise from the bottom of our hearts for this,\u201d JGA\u2019s president Tadashi Fujita<\/strong> said in a hastily arranged news conference on Friday.<\/p>\n Coach Harada<\/strong> said that while Miyata\u2019s conduct had been reckless, she had been under extreme pressure to perform at the highest level. \u201cShe was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure,\u201d he said, wiping away tears. \u201cI would implore people to understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoko had proven her talent in the sport, winning bronze in the balance beam event at the 2022 World Championships and gold at the All Japan Championship this April. Miyata is the reigning Japanese national champion.<\/p>\n In reaction to the decision, some observers said that having Miyata leave the team appeared to be overly harsh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Dai Tamesue<\/strong>, a 400-meter hurdler in three Olympic Games from 2000, posted on X<\/a> before the news conference that, although Miyata\u2019s actions were problematic, she shouldn\u2019t be removed from the squad.<\/p>\n Aiko Sugihara<\/strong>, who is listed as a reserve for the women\u2019s team, had been considered as a potential replacement for Miyata at the Games. However, the JGA decided not to make the move at this time, as substitutes are intended to replace athletes who fall ill or get injured. According to Nikkan Sports<\/a>, Japan would still be able to compete with a team of four, but it would be at a significant disadvantage.<\/p>\n The qualification round for women\u2019s gymnastics is slated to start on July 28. Japan has not medaled in the women\u2019s gymnastics team all-around competition since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n The mental health of Olympians has been a major point of conversation, with many competitors opening up about their own struggles. Simone Biles<\/strong><\/a> withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after she realized she had the twisties\u2014a gymnastics phenomenon where an athlete suddenly loses their sense of where their body is in space\u2014and decided to take a step back to prioritize her mental health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFor anyone saying I quit, I didn\u2019t quit,\u201d Simone wrote on Instagram after her decision. \u201cMy mind & body are simply not in sync\u2014as you can see here. I don\u2019t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard\/competition surfaces. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"TAKASAKI,](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-2152940117.jpg?quality=100&w=1024\")