Olympics Notes: Japanese Judokas Claim Coach Physically Abused Them

Japan's Olympic female Judokas "were beaten with bamboo swords and slapped by their coaches." A group of 15 judokas complained to the Japanese Olympic Committee last month that they "had been subjected to physical punishment" by head coach Ryuji Sonoda. The group, which includes athletes who competed in the London Olympics, claimed that Sonoda "routinely abused them, slapping them in the face and hitting them with thick wooden swords like those used in the Japanese martial art of kendo" (AFP, 1/30). ... A poll commissioned by Tokyo 2020 revealed that nearly 10 million people, or 73% of Tokyo's population ,want the capital city to host the 2020 Olympic Games. The poll's strong results corroborate a separate poll taken by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper on Jan. 11-13, which found that national support for Tokyo to host the 2020 Games was at 78% (Tokyo 2020).