Tomita theft denial ‘astonishes’ JOC
Print Edition
THE Japanese Olympic Committee reacted with “astonishment” yesterday after disgraced swimmer Naoya Tomita denied stealing a journalist’s camera at the Asian Games in September, despite previously confessing to the crime.
The 25-year-old, arrested by South Korean police after being identified by security videos, has been banned from competition for 18 months.
But in a bizarre twist he held a news conference on Thursday at which he claimed an unidentified person had put the camera in his bag.
“If someone puts an object in your bag, the first thing you would do is check inside,” JOC international relations director Yasuhiro Nakamori said.
“If you’re scared of it being an explosive or something suspicious you would inform a team official,” he added.
Tomita said he confessed to stealing the US$7,600 camera only because he feared he would not be allowed to return to Japan.
“He was identified from the security videos by a JOC official and from the pictures seen putting the camera into the bag,” Nakamori said.
Nakamori also denied claims by Tomita’s lawyer that Japanese officials abandoned his client. “He received support from Japanese officials and Japanese embassy staff,” said Nakamori, who also brushed off allegations from Tomita’s legal team that the interpreter provided for the swimmer in Incheon did not speak sufficient Japanese.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
