Japan ace Momota faces Rio chop over casino visits

Tokyo : Olympic medal contender Kento Momota is in danger of being kicked off Japan's badminton team for Rio after admitting to gambling at an illegal casino, his club said Thursday.

The 21-year-old sensation, who last August became the first Japanese man to win a world championship medal with a bronze in Jakarta, and team-mate Kenichi Tago could now face a ban from this summer's Olympics if found guilty by the country's ruling body.

The two players arrived at Tokyo's Narita airport early on Thursday after competing in a tournament in Malaysia, but refused to answer questions.

Japanese officials are set to hold an emergency board meeting this weekend to decide what action to take after the pair's team, NTT East Japan, said it had confirmed that the players placed bets at an underground casino which was raided by police last year.

Nippon Badminton Association Secretary General Kinji Zeniya hinted that the organisation would adopt a zero-tolerance policy, saying it would be "probably impossible" for the players to represent Japan in Rio if the allegations were confirmed. 

"They have a serious responsibility to society," he told local media, before bursting into tears. "We must deal with this case strictly."

Zeniya added: "I'm shocked by this. I would like to deeply apologise to all the Japanese people and fans of badminton. At this stage we cannot endorse these players (for Rio) and it looks as if there will be a harsh punishment." 

The Nippon Badminton Association said that Momota, who recently rose to number two in the world rankings, had pulled out of his defence of the Singapore Open next week over the furore, adding that the player was likely to know his fate in the coming days.