A little over a week after four Japanese basketball players were sent home from the Asian Games in Indonesia for allegedly paying women for sex, the head of the Japan Basketball Association announced Wednesday that the players will be suspended from play for a year.
"They lacked the sense of pride and responsibility that players in the Japanese delegation should have," Yuko Mitsuya said, via the Associated Press.
In addition, Mitsuya and three other JBA officials will have their salaries docked by 10 percent, according to the AP. For Mitsuya, the punishment will last three months, whereas for the other officials it will last for two months.
Takuya Hashimoto, Keita Imamura, Yuya Nagayoshi and Takuma Sato reportedly checked into a hotel with four women after a win against Qatar nearly two weeks ago. At the time it was announced that the players were being sent home, Japanese chef de mission Yasuhiro Yamashita said that Japan will "give the athletes thorough guidance from now on."
"This is a very foolish and disappointing problem, but the truth cannot be changed," Mitsuya said, via the AP. "So I think it is our top challenge to learn and grow from this problem."
The remaining eight Japanese players have continued to play shorthanded. The team missed out on medal rounds with a loss to Iran, before losing again to the Philippines on Tuesday. It will play for seventh place against Indonesia.
