Homare Sawa, runner in first leg of Olympics torch relay, drops out

 citing health reasons

Got the Vid?

Health reason or protesting the Tokyo Olympic debacle,lol?

More likely she knows being a part of anything associated with the corrupt Olympics will damage her good reputation. She made the right call.

I remember when Japan won the World Cup back in 2011 and the oyaji 'experts' on TV were criticizing her on TV for having hair that was too long.

They soon changed their tune when Japan won the title.

I hope she is getting her own back on the oyaji fraternity by baling out at the last moment.......leving them with egg on their faces and that she isn't sick.

Health reasons indeed. Smart move, Sawa-san. Nadeshiko's victory in the World Cup after the triple disaster was a great way to support your community, and this time, you have again chosen the way to lead through a crisis. You continue to be a shining example and the Japanese public is smart enough to read your public health message . Let's hope that many others follow your example. Clean up sport!

Health reasons

Translates to: I don't support this but I am entirely to weak to speak up.

It is really becoming a miserable Olympic.

The Games are becoming an Omen-monger's dream.

Women also take significantly more time off than men in my company too citing 'health reasons'.

Boy oh boy that is a high profile kick in the nads there!!

I wonder what's coming next, but I bet it will be coming soon!!!

For some reason Sawa’s announcement has resulted in another round of negativity directed towards “oyaji” here on JT. What gives? There are a lot of middle and older aged men in Japan - they aren’t all bad.

Of course she might just have a medical issue of some kind.

But then, who am I to contradict all the experts here who obviously know her and her condition so intimately.

Health reasons might be true.

But here, it is a polite way to retire. Like politicians do when involved in a scandal

I'm starting a sort of "deadpool" on what else could go wrong with the Olympics. Any guesses?

It’s just only simple logic. Why to run in public and even hold also a torch in your hand, for promoting something that won’t take place? lol That would be like daily TV commercials for a product that nowhere is produced and available. Makes no sense, right?

I dont think she is sick.

So much negativity. People are free to say what they feel, but it's as if some people need things to complain about.

Yes it is difficult and expensive event to put the biggest global event together, especially in these times.

Maybe the first true global event in these times with an increasingly divided world could be something we get behind?

There was also negativity like this in London before the games, but those voices faded and are almost forgotten now.