Japanese Badminton Star Kento Momota Ruins His Olympic Dreams After Gambling at a Casino
A Japanese badminton star has ruined his chances of competing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after admitting to gambling at an illegal casino.
Kento Momota, 21, who’s currently ranked number #2 in the world in men’s single admitted to making bets at a Tokyo casino with teammate Kenichi Tago. The casino was closed after being raided by police last May.
Last August, Momota won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Jakarta Indonesia, making him the first Japanese man to medal in that tournament.
Kinji Zeniya, Nippon Badminton Association secretary general said that they would be “unable to nominate” for the Olympics, according to NBC Sports.
Casinos are illegal in Japan and anyone who gambles with sportsbooks or other methods could face up to three years in prison.
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