Japanese Paralympic Archer Chika Shigesada Withdraws from Paris Games in Wake of Defamation of Other Athlete

By Yoshinaga Azekawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

15:15 JST, August 24, 2024

PARIS — Paralympic archer Chika Shigesada has voluntarily withdrawn from the upcoming Paris Paralympics after it was found that she anonymously defamed another athlete online, the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) announced Friday.

Shigesada, 41, was ordered on Aug. 6 by the Tokyo District Court to pay about ¥1.2 million in compensation to the other athlete, who had filed a lawsuit over the posting in an online blog. The court found the posting constituted defamation.

Shigesada’s legal team filed an appeal of the ruling, but later withdrew it.

Looking at the court ruling, the JPC questioned Shigesada to determine if her deed violated regulations governing athletes who are dispatched to major international competitions.

On Thursday, Shigesada submitted documentation to the JPC that she would withdraw from the Paralympics, which the JPC accepted.

“Defamation or slandering can never be tolerated in any situation,” JPC President Kazuyuki Mori said. “To prevent a recurrence, we shall implement measures to further raise integrity in sports.”

The Paris Paralympics is scheduled to start on Wednesday.