Tokyo: Both Kento Momota and Yuki Fukushima have been given a verbal warning by Nippon Badminton Association after Fukushima was caught on surveillance camera as she walked out of Kento Momota’s room at a training camp that was held in Tokyo in May.
Secretary General of Nippon Badminton Association, Kinji Zeniya, has warned both of them that “they should be more careful about their behavior in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
Nippon Badminton Association did not impose any penalties to Momota and Fukushima, but said they would pay close attention on both of them.
Japanese media broke the news recently that when the Japan national team was having a training camp at Tokyo National Training Center in May, the Japanese Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) found out that Yuki Fukushima was not in her room during a spot drug testing procedure.
After checking the surveillance videos, they found out Fukushima was walking out of Momota’s room early in the morning around 6am.
Momota’s personal badminton club NTT East told reporters that: “Momota was having a conversion with Fukushima in his room around 6am that day, and he felt bad for all the misunderstanding caused.”
Although Fukushima had eventually undergone the drug test, according to the Japan Anti-Doping Organization (JADA) regulations, if any players missed three doping tests within a one-year period, they could be suspended or banned from their sports.
Kento Momota (24) and Yuki Fukushima (25) are currently ranked No. 1 in the men’s singles and women’s doubles, and are Japan’s biggest prospects to win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Some badminton fans were even joking that Fukushima might be practicing mixed doubles with Momota in the room that day, and they could form a formidable pair to win the mixed doubles gold medal for Japan in 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
