Komuro disqualified from skeleton race

Again ? Another DQ ? Like Jim Rome says- "if you ain't cheatin', you aint tryin' ! Seems like Japan is "tryin" all angles now ! Wow, who woulda thunk ?

It must be heart-breaking to train for years only to be disqualified like that.

I say her and her entire coaching staff ought to be fired and refund people of Japan for the cost of their trip. This level of incompetence is inexcusable in the Olympic games. It's either gross stupidity or intentional cheating. While I'm at it, I'll say that the Japanese speed-skater who abandoned his race yesterday because of some imaginary whistle should have been disqualified as well. Even a high school athelete is told "don't stop running unless the ref tells you to!"

So she's cheating because a sticker wasn't on her sled. Give me a break. It was an oversight that her coach or equipment people and ultimately herself should have caught. Too bad to get all the way to the Olympics and have your dream destroyed by a sticker. Ganbarre Nozomi.

"So she's cheating because a sticker wasn't on her sled. Give me a break."

How about a DQ instead ? The sled obviously wasn't registered. I really wonder what Japan is trying to pull with all these DQ's- frst for too many weights in the pockets- now this. I see a trend here.

Unfortunately, sports like skeleton and luge adhere to very strict rules. In fact, several riders had either been disqualified or nearly disqualified (like Canada's Michelle Kelly) even before these Olympics, due to improper equipment usage. For example, runners on sleds have to conform to certain standards. It is hardbreaking though, to not participate due to something like a simple sticker. But hey, disqualifications have been happening left and right in these Olympics. Take the speedskating events; several athletes disqualified for pushing, or illegal overtaking. Heck, even in snowboarding, American Jacobellis was disqualified for illegally going outside, thus not even making the finals.

No sticker means her sled isn't properly registered for the event?

The sticker indicates the sled has been inspected and conforms to rules regulations and standards. No sticker indicates no inspection. Someone was trying to sneak in an illegal sled !

Can't she borrow one from another competitor?

or may be have a hello kitty sticker instead, eh.

If they just forgot to put the sticker on, then someone should be fired from that team

Japan is not a sled country, neither is the US or Australia or France. These things happen. I don't think it was cheating. Even if they cheat, they could not beat the Germans or other sled countries.

You would never hear this happening on a German or Austrian team, it is likely just an amateurish mishap by the crew.

ahocchau -- So, you're defending the concept of paying to send "amateurs" to the Olympics? combinibento is on target. Us taxpayers foot the bill to send these folks to represent Japan, not get caught cheating, or at best, not knowing the damn rules. They should send her and her coaches a bill for their Vancouver vacation. Wonder if Japan's p*ss-poor English language skills played any part here.

herefornow - read my post and don't assume. I am only saying I don't think it was cheating, but an amateurish mistake by the crew.

The athlete was properly DQ'd. I was only refering to if Japan had malicious intentions or not, and I don't think they did. They should be DQ'd and they were.

"The athlete was properly DQ'd. I was only refering to if Japan had malicious intentions or not, and I don't think they did. They should be DQ'd and they were."

You got 4 years to get this right- something like this is simply no mistake ! Komuro and the team were up to something.

Look, this news may just be for the best - with the dangerous state of that death-trap track, she may just have added 60 years to her life! They don't call it "skeleton" for nothing!

Very careless!

But on a positive note a British girl has set the track record - go Amy!

@ Branded "Someone was trying to sneak in an illegal sled !" you pretend to know the rules and procedures of the sled inspection...lol I think they probably know those rules better than you even. If they were going to try to "slip in an illegal" i think they would simply modify the sled after it got the sticker....seems much more likely there was some other mix up

"@ Branded "Someone was trying to sneak in an illegal sled !" you pretend to know the rules and procedures of the sled inspection...lol I think they probably know those rules better than you even."

Yes- I agree, they should definitely know the rules better than me. Which is why I say this was no "mistake". The Japanese "know" the rules and procedures- they were up to something !