Shukan Bunshun Editorial Department: “I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere apologies to everyone involved in skating, especially my family and the other skaters I was involved with, for the trouble I have caused due to my careless and thoughtless attitude. I am truly sorry.” On July 19, former figure skater Miki Ando (36) explained her situation on the internet TV show “Abema Prime.” ◆◆◆ 16-year-old A-kun and Ando look like a couple In our July 4th issue, we reported in detail on a “hand-holding date” between Ando and A-kun, a 16-year-old male athlete whom Ando coaches. In late June, the two, wearing black masks, visited Universal Studios Japan in Osaka with A-kun’s mother, appearing to be more intimate as they walked with their arms around each other’s waists, and then holding hands when A-kun’s mother left them. The next day, in their hometown of Nagoya, A-kun visited Ando’s parents’ home and stayed there for about three hours. Afterwards, the two of them went out to eat ramen in the downtown area. Our magazine witnessed the two looking like a couple, with A-kun walking with his arm around Ando’s shoulder and embracing each other on the subway. She denies being in a romantic relationship. When interviewed by our magazine, she said, “It’s like this with other students too. Although Ando acknowledged the “closeness” and the close physical contact, he denied that they were in a romantic relationship. Even on “Abema Prime,” the explanation remained the same, saying, “We would like to once again clearly state, as in the article, that some of the reports are completely unfounded.” However, on the other hand, he also suggested that he has not been coaching A-kun, saying, “I think he needs some time to reflect on his actions, so he hasn’t been able to go to the rink yet.” The “distance” between Ando and A-kun has become an issue in the figure skating world. “In early July, the general meeting of the Japan Figure Skating Instructors Association, which includes many figure skating instructors including Ando, was held. Ando did not attend, but Chairman Sano Minoru casually mentioned that he intended to give Ando a “severe warning.” However, Mr. Sano’s remarks may have been premature, as the association’s lawyer immediately stopped him from speaking.” (Member who attended) When we asked the association to confirm what Mr. Sano said, they replied, “It’s true. According to the association rules, the only disciplinary action taken by a general meeting is expulsion, but the board of directors may decide to issue a warning or a severe reprimand. At present, we are not taking any strict precautions.” A-kun himself wants to continue receiving her guidance. So what happened to Ando and A-kun’s relationship after that? A person who knew Ando speaks. Although A-kun’s parents came to the conclusion that they could not allow her to continue coaching, A-kun himself seemed to want to continue receiving her guidance. However, I heard that the relationship between coach and player ended after that,” I asked A’s mother. –I heard that you ended your relationship as coach and player?
“Is it necessary for me to answer that question now? It’s fine, so there’s no need to worry.”
–So you haven’t come to a decision yet?
“I’ll refrain from commenting for now.”
–I heard that A-kun wanted to continue working with Ando-san. “I’m sure there are many different opinions about what’s going on there, but I have nothing to say, and I’m completely unsure of what’s going to happen to his life.”
On the other hand, we asked Ando to confirm the facts of the coaching contract, but he insisted, “Please go through the manager.” The manager responded, “There is nothing I can answer at the moment.” How will Ando and A-kun tackle the new season starting in the fall?
This topic came up just before I left for the office, so I said, “This wouldn’t be acceptable if the genders were reversed,” and my boss said, “That’s your catchphrase, if the genders were reversed… lol,” and everyone around me laughed. I’m sure I’ve said it a few times before, but it’s not a catchphrase, and people around me don’t need to laugh like that, so it pisses me off. I calmed down a bit after about an hour when I got home, but I can’t help but be angry.
>>10 The people around me were probably just laughing along with the manager out of consideration for him. Old people are the kind of people who will say “I’ve heard that dozens of times” even if it’s only happened 2-3 times. Don’t worry about it.
If a middle-aged teacher has sex with a high school girl he’ll be dismissed, but if a woman has sex with a high school boy she’s forgiven – is this what they call a “women’s division”?
>>20 No no, if a female teacher had sex with a male high school student she was studying with, she would be fired. Ando is not a high school teacher, and all she did was hug and hold hands! That’s the pretense.
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