Expelled from Asiad for scratching an ‘itch’

Japan's Takuya Hashimoto (C) is one of the four athletes forced to leave the 2018 Asian Games in disgrace. Picture: AFP Four Japanese basketball players were sent home from the Asian Games in disgrace for paying prostitutes for sex as the regional Olympics was hit by scandal on Monday.

The players were spotted in a notorious red light district of Jakarta in their national jerseys, JOC officials said, adding that the four had been ordered to leave immediately.

News that Yuya Nagayoshi, Takuya Hashimoto, Takuma Sato, Keita Imamura had been booted out will come as a major embarrassment for Japan, who will host the Tokyo Olympics in two years’ time.

The story broke after the four, who play in Japan’s B-League, were spotted in the red light district by a reporter for Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

At the last Asian Games in 2014, Japan were forced to send home swimmer Naoya Tomita after he was caught on video stealing a journalist’s camera from the pool deck.

The basketball scandal happened after Japan beat Qatar 82-71 to go top of Group C. Japan were bronze medallists at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

It is far from being the first case of sexual misconduct at a major multisports event, which typically draw thousands of athletes, officials and fans from around the world.

At the 2014 Asian Games, an Iranian official was kicked out for the verbal sexual harassment of a female volunteer, and a Palestinian footballer was accused of groping a female worker at the athletes’ village.