Skip to main content

Dark Side of the Rising Sun

For all the good things that happened this year, just like anywhere else Japan had its share of problems. In sports, speed skater Kei Saito's doping suspension at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the harassment case around coach Kazuhito Sakae and Olympic gold medalist wrestler Kaori Icho, and the Nihon University football scandal involving head coach Masato Uchida directing a player to deliberately take out the opposing team's quarterback were some of the bigger stories, but in athletics as well there was no shortage of problems. From actions ranging from the individual to the systemic and societal, from doping to corruption to abuse and harassment, a quick list of the year's lows two years out from Tokyo 2020.

Drugs and Injections

'Top Canoeist Suspended for Framing Rival for Doping'

Why is the Number of Doping Offenders Growing in Once-Upon-a-Time Clean Japan?

National Corporate Women's Ekiden Champion Team to be Stripped of Title After Member Tests Positive

Nakamura on Positive Drug Test: "I Had Gynecological Issues I Didn't Want Anyone to Know About"

Official Statement From Corporate Federation Director Nishikawa on Anti-Doping Violation and Sanction

JADA Disciplinary Panel Ruling Against Moeno Nakamura

Iron Injections Remain an Issue in Japanese High School Girls' Distance Running

JAAF Cracking Down on Iron Injection Abuse, to Require Blood Testing at National High School Ekiden

Ethics, Grift and Malfeasance

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

Family of Woman Who Died Last Fall Sue Race Organizers After She Fell in Ocean During Race Four Years Ago

Ekiden Runner Who Got Team Disqualified at National Championships Arrested on Fraud Charges

Official Caught Manipulating Results to Get Junior High School Athletes Into National Championships

Two City Council Members Asked to Resign Over Misappropriation of Subsidies for Local Road Race

'National Expenditure for Tokyo Olympics Set to Run 7 Times Over Earlier Budget Estimate: Report'

Komazawa University to Establish Third-Party Committee to Investigate Claims of Strife Between Coach Oyagi and School President

National Corporate Federation Under Investigation for Violation of Antitrust Law in Restriction on Athletes Changing Teams

Coaching Abuses and Athlete Mental Health

Former World Championships Marathoner Hara Arrested Again for Shoplifting Candy

Former World-Class Marathoner Hara Admits to Shoplifting During Athlete Days Due to Coach's Severe Weight Restrictions

How a Former National Team Level Marathoner Developed an Eating Disorder

University Coach Who Lost High School Position After Abusing Students Accused of Abuse

Nittai University Head Coach Masaaki Watanabe Fired Over Abuse Scandal

Star First-Year Quits Toyo University Alleging Violence by Teammates; Teammates Allege He Had a Bad Attitude

Hot Weather and the Tokyo Olympics

Six University Meet Cancels 5000 m Because It Was Just Too Damned Hot

An Endless Heat Wave - Will the Olympics Really Be OK?

Money First for a Midsummer Olympics? Just Can't Say No to Those American TV Dollars

'Call for Tokyo Olympic Marathon to Start at 5.30am to Avoid Deaths'

No Discussion of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Marathon Start Time at IAAF Council Meeting

Sexual Harassment

High School Teacher Suspended for Sexually Harassing Member of Girls' Track Team

JAAF Marathon Project Leader Seko Given Official Warning After Sexual Harassment Accusation by Female TV Announcer

Aging Society

Heisoko Ekiden Cancelled As Race Organizers Get Too Old

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nat'l University Ekiden Updates Here

Looks like I just went over my update limit on Twitter - sorry, it's the first time I've tried to use it for this. I'll look for another option next time. In the meantime I'll add updates to the comments below. Not sure if that has a max too but I guess we'll find out. Update: Part one of the Nationals commentary can be found here .
77 comments
Read more

Gold Coast Half Marathon Elite Field

Over the weekend the Gold Coast Marathon announced its elite fields for the China Airlines Half Marathon the day before the main race. For the last couple of years there's been a friendly rivalry between Gold Coast and Tasmania's Launceston Half a month earlier to produce the fastest times ever on Australian soil. Gold Coast has had the women's record for a few years since American Keira D'Amato ran 1:06:39 in 2023, and last year it added the men's record with a 1:01:08 from Andy Buchanan . Launceston took the men's record this year with a 1:00:41 from Haftu Strintzos , and women's winner Izzi Batt-Doyle ran a course record 1:08:46, the fastest time ever by an Australia in Australia. NR holder Batt-Doyle is the favorite again in the women's race at Gold Coast. Women-only half marathon NR holder Rino Goshima has run as fast as 1:08:03, but since moving up to the marathon she hasn't anything near that kind of time, and a 33:12 at the B.A.A. 10 km ...
3 comments
Read more

Goto Drops 2nd-Straight WR - National Championships Day Three Highlights

Just over a month since his 17th birthday, Taiju Goto proved his 48.31 U18 WR in the men's 400 mH heats yesterday wasn't a fluke as he bettered that in the final on the last day of the 110th National Track and Field Championships in Nagoya. Slow in the start, Goto picked up momentum coming up to 200 m before really getting into gear, pulling away from the rest of the field in the last 100 m to win in 48.09, another U18 WR, a new U20 NR, and a run that made him the first high schooler ever to with the Nationals 400 mH. Now only 0.20 off the senior NR, Goto joins the list of Rakunan H.S. talent to be re-writing the record books that includes Yoshihide Kiryu , Ryuji Miura , Keita Sato and Toshinari Takaoka . Another Nationals MR went down, this one in the women's 3000 mSC thanks to NR holder Miu Saito . Having taken 3rd in the 5000 m 2 days ago, Saito started out a little on the conservative side with company from last year's winner Manami Nishiyama in the first 1000 ...
1 comment
Read more