TOKYO: The Japan Karatedo Federation has decided to dismiss a key official over his alleged physical abuse of former world champion Ayumi Uekusa.

The federation made the decision Friday to dismiss Masao Kagawa as head of its committee responsible for training without accepting his resignation. Meanwhile, the federation let him resign from its board.

Uekusa, set to compete in the women’s over 61-kilogram kumite category in this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, claimed that she got her left eye hurt with a bamboo sword by Kagawa in a training session Jan. 27.

The federation gave both Uekusa and Kagawa a hearing at an ethics committee meeting March 31. It concluded that Kagawa injured Uekusa, saying his act was very dangerous and intolerable.

Uekusa also alleged that Kagawa hurled verbal abuse at her from around September last year and excluded her from special camp training in March this year.

The federation stopped short of determining whether this is a case of so-called power harassment, because Uekusa and Kagawa were far apart over what happened.

Karate is among the sports set to join the Olympics for the first time at the Tokyo Games.

JIJI Press