Japan women's gymnastics captain out of Paris Games for smoking

TOKYO :Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of the Japan women's artistic gymnastics team, has withdrawn from the squad for the Paris Games after violating the team's code of conduct by smoking, the Japanese Gymnastics Association said on Friday.

Miyata arrived in Japan on Thursday after leaving the team's training camp in Monaco for investigation, which confirmed the violation, officials from the JGA told reporters in Tokyo.

Hopes had been high for the Japan women's gymnastics team, which was seeking to win a team medal at the Paris Games for the first time since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Miyata had been expected to lead a team comprised entirely of first-time Olympians and teenagers after she secured her Paris berth in May with a third consecutive NHK trophy.

Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games and will be held from July 27 to Aug. 5.