TOKYO, April 7 -- Two of Japan's top badminton starts have been implicated in an illegal gambling scandal and, according to local media reports Thursday, have admitted their culpability.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said the two players in question, Kento Momota and Kenichi Tago, had admitted visiting an illegal gambling establishment and confessed to doing so to their team, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (NTT East).
Having just touched down in Japan early Thursday morning following being on international duty in Malaysia, the pair will now face a probe by their team, with NTT East saying it plans to ask other players and members of staff on its team about the scandal.
Momota, 21, considered a rising star in Japan's competitive world of badminton, helped Japan win the Thomas Cup in 2014 by not dropping a single game, and won the Singapore Open making him the youngest Super Series player in the men's singles category and the first Japanese player to win the prestigious tournament.
Following that, he achieved notable successes in international tournaments in the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and India. Local sports commentators believe the youngster may face disciplinary measures from his team, but have suggested that his age will be factored into his alleged misdemeanor and how he will be reprimanded.
Tago, 26, meanwhile, is no stranger to controversy, having been booted out of the national team in 2015 for a lack of discipline and is reportedly not a "team player" although played for Japan in the London Olympics and has made a name for himself domestically.
Pundits have said he may have peaked in 2010 when he reached the final of the England Open Badminton Championships, and the badminton community here has recently been looking with high hopes to his junior, Momoto, to go on to fly the flag for Japan in the Rio Olympics this year.
According to a representative from NTT East, the pair will be investigated as per the team's rules and no comment was made about whether Momoto would be stripped of his upcoming Olympic duty.
