Sae Miyakawa Press Conference
(translation of part of Sae Miyakawa’s press conference regarding her coach’s dismissal due to his actions of physical abuse. Highlighted parts are from the news segment. Did this very quickly - apologise for any mistakes!)
“For the past 8 years, I have been under the guidance of coach Hayami. His coaching has been strict, but more so than that, there has been enjoyment and kindness. Together we aspired to go to the Tokyo Olympics, and even more, we have worked hard to achieve our goal of getting a gold medal.”
“A favourite saying of coach Hayami was ‘Sae, you will definitely one day become an amazing athlete’, and to achieve that, he explained in detail and in an easy to understand manner what exactly I needed to do. His coaching had many things that made me think ‘I want to go to training as soon as I can’, and because of that, gymnastics is something I love and something I enjoy every day.”
“But in training, of course there were times where I couldn’t do something well, or where I went limp in the middle of a move, or where I wanted to abandon training. His coaching was especially strict in situations where it seemed I would sustain a serious injury, or even where my life was in danger. From my recollections, it was in these situations where he physically abused me. In those times, I understood his behaviour as something that can’t be helped. However, in all earnestness, what I really wanted to tell him was that I thought his behaviour had gone overboard. And now, I understand that his actions of violence towards me were in no way things to be allowed. Furthermore, hereafter, I have no intentions of excusing his physically abusive behaviour.”
“In truth, I was hit and my hair was pulled. I cannot remember exactly when this happened, but I do think it all happened more than a year ago. Now, he does not coach me like that anymore, and he has seriously reflected upon the wrongness of the physical abuse he directed towards me. He has also seriously reflected upon the trouble he has brought to those around us.”
“Due to coach Hayami’s dismissal and explosive reports about him, I felt quite a bit of shock and damage. I don’t know exactly if it’s the cause, but I have not been able to sleep as well as I would like, and I have this headache everyday that doesn’t seem to be improving. Everyday I feel uneasy, and I have not been able to focus in training. Instead, training currently feels like I’m just going through the movements trying my best not to get injured.”
“Regarding his punishment, coach Hayami has been dismissed for an indefinite period of time. When I first heard this, no matter how I looked at it, I thought it was too much. Hayami has since told me that even though his punishment was especially severe, wrongful actions are still wrongful, and he must accept his punishment. However, the punishment also has ramifications for the Tokyo Olympics, and I currently hold great anxiety facing 2020. No matter how I think about it, I cannot agree with the severity of his punishment.”
“On the 15th of July at 3pm, the first day of a camp for the World Championship representatives, I was called during training by the head of female athletic improvement and vice president of the gymnastics federation (Chieko and Mitsuo Tsukahara) into a waiting room by myself. “
“There I was told many times ‘There have been reports of physical abuse. If you don’t confirm them your situation will become quite dire’. They also told me “After Hayami is removed, you will be in quite a predicament. But we are your allies.’ , as well as ‘You haven’t improved because your coach is bad. It’s all your coach’s fault. But I can coach you 100 times better than him’. I replied to them that ‘Even if other people testify, I will not’. When they asked me why, I told them clearly that ‘we have been working towards my goal since a long time ago, and together we made a plan, and together we are persevering to achieve that plan. He is not a scary teacher who I cannot say anything to, but rather a teacher I can express my own thoughts to’. When I told them that even now, together with my family, I believe in coach Hayami and want to continue with him, they said “Something is wrong with your family. You’re treating him as if he was some kind of religion” with an attitude that, from beginning to end, created an atmosphere of high pressure. In the same conversation, the also said ‘You will not be able to compete at the Olympics’”
“I felt scared and hurt that they denounced both my family and my coach, and it felt like as if they were trying to tear me apart from Hayami. But I also felt it was a bit strange. The next day, I didn’t get any sleep and I felt like I was at my limit. So I told Chieko ‘I am at my emotional limits. I want to go home’. She then told me I was being selfish, and so without saying anything more and feeling helpless, I remained at the training camp.”
“Afterwards, on the 20th of July, Chieko’s assistant told me that I would no longer be able to train under coach Hayami. But they said I would be able to continue training with the Asahi Seimei gymnasium (t/n: I think it’s owned by the Tsukaharas), or if I trained at the National Training Centre. they would give me a new full time coach. On the final day of the training camp, they told me that there was one open space at the ‘Asahi Seimei’ dormitory, and that I could use it. They added that the Asahi Seimei Gymnasium is close to me, and that the general manager of the Japanese Gymnastics Association would be there as well. They also gave me the number of a new gymnastics coach. All this, they did without even telling coach Hayami. From the start, they have used coach Hayami’s past violent behaviour as a pretext to get rid of him and move me to the Asahi Seimei gymnasium. In any case, I currently feel despair, and I don’t know what is what anymore”
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