Tokyo Olympic chiefs aghast at scam
Print Edition
TOKYO Olympic officials said yesterday that a betting scandal involving Japan’s top baseball team threatened the integrity of the sport as it seeks re-entry to the Olympics in 2020.
The Yomiuri Giants — Japan’s New York Yankees in terms of popularity and commercial reach — formally apologized yesterday after pitchers Shoki Kasahara and Ryuya Matsumoto were found to have gambled on baseball games.
Gambling in Japan is generally illegal, including most sports betting.
The findings by Nippon Professional Baseball, the professional domestic league, follow revelations earlier this month that another player, Satoshi Fukuda, had also been involved in illegal betting.
It is not clear if the players will face criminal charges.
Tokyo 2020 officials are keen to see baseball reinstated after losing its Olympic status in 2008, and said the revelations tarnish the sport’s credibility in baseball-mad Japan.
“This issue threatens the integrity of sport and the trust of baseball fans and society in general,” Hidetoshi Fujisawa, executive director of communications for the Tokyo Olympics, said.
“We condemn the incident in the strongest possible terms.”
The police have spoken to Yomiuri officials, according to reports, but Olympic officials fear any further revelations could jeopardize baseball’s inclusion at the Tokyo Games.
Meanwhile, baseball commissioner Katsuhiko Kumazaki said steps must be taken to keep the game clean.
“It is extremely regrettable,” he told the Sankei newspaper. “But the world of baseball must demonstrate its ability to purify itself and keep the sport wholesome.”
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