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Top Japanese Gymnast Withdraws From Paris 2024 for Smoking and Drinking Alcohol

Japan’s Olympic gymnastics team will head into the Paris Games this week without its captain, Shoko Miyata, after she withdrew from the team following an investigation that found she had violated the squad’s code of conduct by smoking and drinking alcohol.

In a news conference last week, officials with the Japan Gymnastics Association, which conducted the investigation, announced Ms. Miyata’s withdrawal from the Olympics, saying that “both parties discussed the matter” and that Ms. Miyata had decided not to compete.

The Japan Gymnastics Association’s code of conduct forbids drinking or smoking while in official team programs, regardless of age.