For the first time, a Myanmar player who has been in a turmoil after the coup d'etat participated in the Tokyo Olympics badminton women's singles.
After the coup d'etat in February, Myanmar has dispatched two athletes, badminton and shooting, to the Tokyo Olympics amid continued turmoil due to the crackdown on civilians by the military.
On the 25th, the third day of the tournament, Tetteter Toza, who was 22 years old and ranked 65th in the world ranking, participated in the badminton women's singles qualifying league.
Toza is a Myanmar player who participated in the Olympic badminton for the first time.
In the match, I played against Indonesian national team Gregoria Mariska Thunjun, who is 23rd in the world, and when I lost the first game 11 to 21, I could not recover the second game and was robbed 8 to 21 and lost straight. ..
After the match, Toza said, "It was a tough match, but I want to do my best because there are still matches left." I'm proud to be the first badminton player to play. "
On the other hand, he said "I don't want to answer" to the question "Isn't there some criticism from the people who want democratization for participating in the tournament under the government after the coup d'etat?" I was able to see the complicated situation.
In Myanmar, according to a summary of human rights groups, more than 900 citizens have been killed in the crackdown by the military, and some players have stated that they will not participate in the Tokyo Games under the current system to show their intention to protest. There are also movements such as applying for refugee status when soccer players come to Japan in the World Cup qualification.