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| The four Japanese basketball players arrive at Jakarta airport Monday after being kicked off their Asian Games team and sent home. Kyodo News via AP |
By Jung Min-ho
The Japanese Olympic Committee has expelled four players from its Asian Games basketball team for buying sex in Jakarta, local media reported Monday.
Japanese delegation chief Yasuhiro Yamashita told reporters Monday that the committee had stripped the players from the national team and sent them home.
Yuya Nagayoshi, Takuya Hashimoto, Takuma Sato and Keita Imamura left the athletes' village on Thursday to have dinner and "paid for the services of prostitutes" later that night, Yamashita said.
"The Japan National Olympic Committee decided to withdraw their accreditation and send them back to Japan early this morning," he said.
"We have a specific disciplinary code. It's a clear breach of the code of conduct for the Japanese delegation. The athletes should be role models of society, not only in the sporting venues but also on other occasions."
The remaining eight players and coaches will continue to compete.
