Kohei Uchimura’s “moral harassment divorce” is being “ignored” by TV and newspapers

Kohei Uchimura, the “King” of gymnastics, held his retirement press conference on January 14. However, as soon as he retired, a surprisingly ugly story was reported.

The “Shukan Bunshun” on sale on January 20 reported on Uchimura’s unilateral request for divorce from his wife, as well as allegations of moral harassment on a daily basis.

Speaking of Uchimura, he won two consecutive gold medals in the individual all-around at the London and Rio Olympics. He is one of the world’s leading gymnasts, having won six consecutive individual all-around titles at the World Championships since 2009.

According to Shukan Bunshun, even when his wife Chiho made hamburgers and vegetable soup for him to share with their two daughters, he would say, “I ordered an Uber,” and order a pizza or beef bowl for himself. She also went to see a psychotherapist, and when she asked the doctor to listen to what he had to say, Uchimura said

I don’t understand. I don’t understand. It’s your brain, so you should control it yourself.

I don’t understand.

Chiho’s weight plummeted to 33 kilograms at one point, and her two daughters, aged 8 and 6, nursed their mother by feeding her rice balls with a little miso. Uchimura sent a photo of a lawyer’s business card to her, indicating his intention to divorce her, and they lost contact.

The story comes from a place very close to Chiho’s, as it is a very detailed description of her family. Mr. Uchimura has remained mute in the interview, but if he is not, he should clearly explain himself.

If things continue as they are, the image he has cultivated up to now could be destroyed. We have sponsorship contracts with many companies, so if there is a factual error, we need to speak up or it will be very bad for our reputation.

Indeed, if you look at Uchimura’s official website, you will see a release saying that he has signed sponsorship contracts with various companies. There are also many reports of sponsorship on Uchimura’s Facebook page as well.

Considering Uchimura’s past performance and popularity, it is understandable that all kinds of companies would jump on board. This is a situation that could shake his refreshing image.

However, according to another source, Uchimura’s image has not deteriorated that much.

The major media, which have a very strong relationship with Uchimura, are ignoring this matter. There are hardly any sports papers or TV programs reporting on the allegations of moral harassment. The sports world and the media are in a close relationship, so they don’t cover any story that might cause a crack in the future.

Even if you look at the comments on SNS and the Internet

“I feel sorry for Uchimura that this is being reported.
There are a lot of things we can’t understand just from the wife’s side, and I want people to stop beating up on Uchimura.

Some people are defending Uchimura. The “moral harassment divorce” report came out right after he retired. I wonder if he will be able to “land” on his feet…