INCHEON, South Korea: Japan expelled top swimmer Naoya Tomita from the Asian Games and promised yesterday that he would face strict punishment after admitting he stole a journalist’s camera at the Incheon pool.
South Korean prosecutors are now considering whether to press charges and the 25-year-old will have to pay for his own ticket back to Japan, officials said.
Japan’s chef de mission Tsuyoshi Aoki apologised for Tomita’s conduct at a press conference.
“I want to offer my sincerest apologies that such a regrettable incident has happened amid the excitement of the Asian Games,” said Aoki.
Japan swimming bosses promised Tomita, who was taken away by police on Friday, would face tough sanctions.
“I’m shocked that this sort of thing could happen after the Japanese team performed so well in the pool,” said Japan Swimming Federation director Masafumi Izumi. “He will be dealt with severely.”
Japanese swimming coach Norimasa Hirai added: “The other swimmers are in shock. (Tomita) returned to the athletes’ village last night and we stayed in the same room.
“He apologised and was deeply remorseful,” the coach added.
The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) called the incident a “very serious violation” of its code of conduct. The $7,600 camera, belonging to a journalist for a South Korean news agency, went missing at the Asian Games pool on Thursday.
Tomita was detained after police studied images from closed circuit cameras at the pool, officials said.
An Incheon Games organising committee spokeswoman said police had finished their investigation and sent a report to prosecutors who would decide tomorrow whether to press charges.
The swimmer is barred from leaving the country in the meantime, the spokeswoman added.
“The Japanese Olympic Committee recognises the serious misbehaviour of Naoya Tomita and decided to expel him from the delegation,” said a JOC statement read at a press conference by Aoki.
“The Japanese delegation was informed by Incheon police yesterday (Friday) that Tomita was suspected of having stolen a camera at the poolside on Thursday.
“The police came to us to ask for our cooperation in their investigation and they escorted Tomita to the police station where he admitted he had stolen the camera.”
Tomita finished fourth in the 100 metres breaststroke final on Wednesday. He won the 200m breaststroke title at both the Asian Games and the world short-course championships in 2010. afp
