Akari Ogata and Haruka Tachimoto can forget Rio after drug discovery

Painful news from Japan where both Akari Ogata and Haruka Tachimoto are penalised for one year of competition due to an over-the-counter cold medicine with Methylephedrine which is a prohibited medicine. Their hope for taking part at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is marginal, unless the AJFF turns back the decision.

Both judoka didn’t participate at the latest IJF Event in Düsseldorf, but were present though. Both are Olympians of London 2012. Tachimoto fought U70kg and finished 7th and participated at the World Championships 2011 and 2013. Of all athletes she won the most prize money in the IJF Tour, approx. 40,000 USD. She won 3 Grand Prix and 2 Grand Slams and was World Junior Champion in 2008 and in 2009 together with Ogata in Paris.

Akari Ogata fought in London U78kg and was the 2011 World Championships finalist in Paris. She won bronze at the Worlds in 2010 in Tokyo, but couldn’t convince in London with a ninth position. She participated at three World Championships, the last one in 2013 she lost her first match.

As a result, it will be impossible to compete in April for the Japanese Championships/selection and this year's World Championships in Astana. Their qualification roads are cut off by this incident.

It seems that both athletes had the same room together in Germany for the Grand Prix. Japanese women's director Nanjo said: "We carried out an explanation about doping to them at the time of a training camp. We gave them the table of the prohibition medicine. However, they have taken over-the-counter medicine by a dogma without consulting their director, a coach or a doctor. If they had done the doping control , they would have been stopped two years Judo by the IJF."

Tachimoto is ranked 27th but follow up is eager to take her place by means of Chizuru Arai (WRL 8) who won both the European Cup in Sofia as well as last weekend’s Grand Prix in Düsseldorf. Karen Nun-Ira is ranked 15th now and is a second candidate for this division U70kg.

Akari Ogata was not even in the top 100, now ranked 119, and her place was virtually taken by Ruika Sato, now ranked 18th and youngster Mami Umeki (23).