Koryo high pulled out of the popular competition after an outcry over reports that some of its members had bullied a junior player
One of Japan’s most popular sports tournaments is reeling after the sudden withdrawal of a team whose teenage players have been accused of abusing a younger teammate.
Koryo high school, which had been representing Hiroshima prefecture in the summer high school baseball championships, announced on Sunday it would no longer take part.
The team’s withdrawal comes after a public outcry over reports that several of its members had physically abused a junior player earlier this year. The event’s organising body issued a severe reprimand to the school in March after its internal investigation found that four students had assaulted a younger boy at a dormitory in January.
The revelations sparked a backlash on social media that included calls for the team’s expulsion, as well as a bomb threat and incidents in which Koryo students had been chased on their way to and from school.
