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20 km Racewalk World Record Holder Suzuki Suspended 6 Months for False Expense Claims



On Feb. 8 it was announced that men's 20 km racewalk world record holder Yusuke Suzuki (30, Fujitsu), has been suspended for six months beginning in October last year for making fraudulent expense claims to the JAAF in relation to support money he was receiving from the Federation.

In 2016 Suzuki was designated as a high performance athlete with medal potential, a categorization that qualified him for an annual 10 million yen [~$92,000 USD] stipend to support his training. According to an involved person, from October, 2016 to March last year Suzuki had filed travel expenses for 150 trips from the Fujitsu athlete dormitory in Chiba to a treatment clinic in Tokyo when in reality he was staying with relatives in Tokyo nearby the clinic. He also filed expense claims for eight treatment sessions that he did not actually attend.

At the request of the JAAF, Fujitsu team management had reviewed Suzuki's expense claims and uncovered the false expenses, following which Suzuki withdrew the claims. The JAAF held a session in September to review the situation and made the decision to suspend Suzuki for six months.

source article: 
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/20180209-OYT1T50029.html
translated by Brett Larner

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