Judul : Ex-Olympian accused of abusing another member of Japan school volleyball club
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Ex-Olympian accused of abusing another member of Japan school volleyball club
Following the recent revelation that a former Olympian-turned-coach assaulted members of the volleyball team at a high school in Akita Prefecture, another team member was found to have quit the school following abuse by the same coach, sources close to the matter have told the Mainichi Shimbun.
The former student, now in his 20s, told the Mainichi Shimbun that members of the club at Akita Prefectural Omonogawa High School including himself "were assaulted daily," and said corporal punishment by coach Daisuke Usami, who played for the Japanese national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had already been taking place for several years.
"I'm disappointed that it was still going on, and at the same time relieved that it's finally out in the public," said the former student, reflecting on the time he learned about the news reports on Usami's behavior.
The man joined Omonogawa High School's volleyball club a few years ago, following in the footsteps of his older brother. The brother had warned him, "It's too strict for you. You shouldn't go ahead with it," though he had never mentioned violence. Still, his desire to compete at a powerhouse school that had been making consecutive appearances in the All Japan High School Volleyball Championship, commonly known as Haruko Volleyball, outweighed his concerns.
The corporal punishment by Usami began around May, about a month after he joined the club. Whenever the former student made mistakes during practice, such as in receiving drills, Usami would grab him by the cheek and throw him to the floor. Sometimes, the coach would scold him unreasonably, including a time when he said, "I don't like the look on your face while you listen to me." On at least one occasion, Usami threw a shoe at him, causing his face to swell.
'Tomorrow, it might be me'
The former student repeatedly witnessed other team members being abused. He saw Usami choke an upperclassman with one hand and throw him to the floor repeatedly during toss practice, which left the player in tears. The man felt terrified just watching another team member being assaulted. "Tomorrow, I might be the coach's target," he would think constantly.
Unable to endure the psychological stress, he ran away from the school dorm in August. However, Usami contacted him, urging him to return. Fearing what might happen if he refused, he went back. The subsequent one-on-one receiving practice with the coach continued until he was hyperventilating, and when he could no longer stand, Usami apparently grabbed him by the collar and shoved him, saying, "You came back, so do it."
'My reputation will suffer': Usami
The former student, however, could no longer withstand the violence, and in September, he quit the team. Upon his leaving, Usami harshly questioned him, saying, "If you quit, my reputation will suffer. Are you quitting just to get me punished?" But the man did not change his mind.
The former student said that one of his classmates who was also a member of the team also left school due to Usami's abuse.
At the time, a parent of one of his acquaintances anonymously reported the abuse to the Japan Volleyball Association, but the response was, "We cannot act without the whistleblower's real name," and nothing further happened. It appears that the association did not conduct any interviews with the school.
For a time, the former student wanted nothing to do with volleyball. However, after speaking with a coach at a high school outside the prefecture, to whom he was introduced by a friend, he regained his desire to play again and enrolled at that school the following April.
He found playing volleyball in a club without corporal punishment enjoyable, and recalls, "The three years went by in a flash." After graduating, he started his career at a company.
'No more victims'
Regarding the one-year suspension imposed on Usami by the Akita prefectural volleyball association, the former student said, "Considering the years of abuse, I think it's a light punishment." He suspects that Usami's behavior never came to light earlier because the school, the prefectural board of education and the association covered it up.
Omonogawa High School is currently conducting interviews to investigate the extent of the corporal punishment.
"I hope they investigate it thoroughly and prevent the creation of any more victims," he said.
(Japanese original by Maki Kihara, Tokyo City News Department)
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