Although the Tokyo Frog Kings have a bye week to start season 2 of the International Swimming League (ISL), the new squad is making headlines by way of one of its biggest scorers dropping off the roster.
SwimSwam has received confirmation that 26-year-old world record holder Daiya Seto is no longer participating in the ISL this season due to his ethics code suspension handed down yesterday by the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF).
As we detailed, Seto met with the formal ethics committee of the JASF regarding his extramarital affair, a situation to which the world record holder admitted to and apologized for last month.
Swimming-related fallout from the personal event already included the double gold medalist from the 2019 FINA World Aquatic Championships submitting his request to be removed as captain of the Japanese Olympic swimming team. Seto’s request was granted.
Additionally, Seto withdrew from the Japan Short Course Swimming Championships, which are slated to take place this weekend.
At the JASF extraordinary managing board meeting today, October 13th Seto was handed a suspension spanning the remainder of the 2020 calendar year in terms of Japanese team competitions, camps and training. (Kyodo)
This means that Seto will be unable to compete at the Japan Swim this December, postponed originally from its April timeline due to the coronavirus pandemic. The meet, however, is not a selection meet.
The board did confirm that Seto’s qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games by way of his 200m IM/400m IM double gold in Gwangju at last year’s World Championships remains intact.
However, the suspension includes all international meets, including as a member of Tokyo Frog Kings, as JASF Secretary-General Yujiro Ishii confirmed to SwimSwam.
“Please be informed that Mr.Daiya SETO could not participate in foreign countries competition include ISL in this year.”
Seto’s absence for the Tokyo Frog Kings’ inaugural ISL season deals a big-time blow to the Kosuke Kitajima-run outfit. Seto won the league title with Energy Standard last year, though he only competed in one meet: the league finale. Seto was a huge contributor there, though, winning the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 fly for Energy Standard.
Admit or not.
Seto has been fired in all cylinders with that relationship. Definitely , there was something/motivation for Seto to do that.
What a joke. Seto is the ONLY victim here.
imagine being punished on moral ground by a society where the age of consent is 13 and girls are being recruited for porn industry when they walk on streets in broad daylight. Not to mention the culture of paying for “dates” with young girls who are dressed in school girl uniforms, giving off huge pedophilia vibes and thats an industry and not isolated example. People who think Japan is such an honorable country are those who’ve never been there. Their honor is hugely selective and ruining Seto’s life, and quite possibly that of his family, by a society where cheating is prevalent is plain stupid. Mob mentality and nothing more
Yup. Just ask people from other Asian countries what they thiink about Japanese and their “honorable culture.” Ask workers in Japanese plants abroad (as close as Mexico) how they are (even) physically abused by their Japanese employers. Japanese culture is rich and everyone should try to learn about it and witness (among good things) how much full of schitt$ they are.
people who think Japan is such an honorable country are also not big fans of history….see ww2.
Japan definitely had an honour system in WW2 .
Better ask that motel for a refund
Wow.
This decision has ramifications that are difficult to comprehend. First of all, there are no swimming rules that cover adultery or moral misconduct. The rules clearly state that you can’t do drugs and you’re not allowed to cheat (no pun intended!) as well as restrict commercial aspects, but that’s pretty much it. As such, FINA should overrule the JASF decision to suspend Seto from FINA sanctioned events.
Swimming governance should be restricted to swimming. It cannot, for apparent reasons, be allowed to make arbitrary decisions and hand out morally based punishments. I think we’re all in agreement that sport should be above religious beliefs, perceived racial indifferences as well as abstract and subjective morality unless it is directly… Read more »
Your comparisons are enormously flawed- being suspended for an action (regardless of your views of said action) is drastically different from being banned on a biological basis or belief basis. But that aside it’s not FINA’s call, it’s JASF’s…if Japan says he can’t swim in certain meets or receive national funding for a certain period of time, there’s not a lot FINA can do. I think it would be more problematic if FINA started interceding in a country’s workings on behalf of an individual swimmer.
What’s the difference? The key issue here is that Seto hasn’t done anything illegal, not even by Japanese standards (judicial precedent), so your argument “action” is invalid; he should be able to do whatever he wants without being subjected to prejudice authority as long as he is within remits of the law. Let me clarify this again; Seto is NOT being suspended for something he DID, he is being suspended because of someone else’s prejudice, which falls under the exact same sick category as discriminating someone based on the colour of their skin or sexual orientation.
What JASF have done is to exercise authority based on subjective beliefs and they have extended that authority to reach outside its jurisdiction. If… Read more »
First off, I think the sanctions against Seto are dumb. I’m not defending them, and I think we’re in agreement there.
But this:
“Seto is NOT being suspended for something he DID, he is being suspended because of someone else’s prejudice” – Unless you’re arguing that Seto would have be suspended if he had not had an affair, then this statement is just wrong. I’m not arguing the decision has no prejudice behind it (most laws and rules do), but it’s simply a fact that if Seto had not had an affair this chain of events would not be happening.
And if you can’t see a difference between a rule that punishes someone for something they did rather than… Read more »
There IS no rule that punishes Seto. That’s my point…
Lighten up Francene , It is really none of your business.
You won me over when you mentioned the research on BMV drivers. 🙂 I knew it!
Wow, I hope it was the lay of his life to be worth this.
Feel sorry for him and his family, they must be in a hard position right now. The Frog Kings definitely took a blow, but still a deep team and I know Swimswam will still be cheering for them. I now understand that Japan has very high moral standards, and we can’t be mad at their culture.
we can not? because? culture shouldnt be unjudgeable (sorry if thats not a word)
In a way destroying Seto’s career like this also has financial ramifications for his wife (assuming they remain together) so the victim is basically being punished as well. Just another example of why honour cultures belong in the past.