(ATR) Japan’s world No. 2 badminton player Kento Momota could miss this summer’s Olympics after admitting to gambling at an illegal casino.
Momota and teammate Kenichi Tago gambled at an illegal casino in Tokyo, which was raided by police in spring last year, their team Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp confirmed Thursday, according to Kyodo news agency.
Already qualified for Rio 2016, Momota faces being dropped from Japan’s badminton team for the Games if found guilty of gambling by the country's ruling body. Casino gambling is illegal in Japan, with prison sentences possible for frequent gamblers and those opening venues for gambling.
Japanese badminton leaders will hold an emergency meeting this weekend to decide how to deal with the crisis.
Momota’s Olympic hopes appear to be hanging by a thread. Nippon Badminton Association secretary general Kinji Zeniya said that if proven guilty, it would "probably be impossible" for Momota to participate at the Rio Olympics, according to AFP.
"They have a serious responsibility to society," he said. "We must deal with this case strictly."
The pair dodged questions from reporters on their arrival at Narita airport on Thursday on their return from playing in a tournament in Malaysia.
Missing the Rio Olympics would be a massive blow for the 21-year-old, Japan’s Olympic medal hopes and the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Momota is a rising star in Japanese sport. Last year he became the first Japanese man to win a world championship medal, securing a bronze.
He became the first Japanese player ever to win the BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Dubai in December.
Momota last week won the Indian Open title, his fourth super series title after bagging three competition wins in 2015.
Asked for comment about Momota’s gambling admission, the Badminton World Federation sent a statement to Around the Rings.
"BWF has been made aware of this situation and, at this time, we have no comment on the matter," chief executive Thomas Lund said.
"BWF will continue to monitor the situation relating to Kento Momota."
Reported by Mark Bisson
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