The decision follows Honda’s conviction for dangerous driving causing injury. Nikkan Sports projects that the suspension will cover the Los Angeles Olympics and end in early August 2028, depending on when the notice reaches him.
The Japan Swimming Federation’s executive board decided on 4 November 2026, to suspend Tomoru Honda’s athlete registration for 21 months under Article 4 of its disciplinary regulations. The decision follows his conviction for dangerous driving that injured another driver.
Honda won silver in the men’s 200-meter butterfly at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021, and gold at the 2024 World Championships.
SwimSwam identifies the swimmer as Tomoru Honda, but its quoted English translation of the federation’s notice calls him “Akari Honda.”
On 21 November 2025, Honda crossed into the opposite lane on a curve in Tama, Tokyo, and hit an oncoming car, Nikkan Sports said. The other driver, a man in his 60s, suffered injuries including a fractured sternum. Honda admitted the charges at his first hearing on 25 August 2026. On 9 September, the Tokyo District Court’s Tachikawa branch sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for three years.
The federation considered a two-year suspension appropriate but reduced it by three months because Honda had withdrawn from the Pan Pacific Championships and Asian Games and because its decision had been delayed, Nikkan Sports said. It also considered the injured driver’s wish not to seek a severe punishment, Honda’s payment separate from insurance compensation and his suspended sentence.
The federation’s vice president described the crash as very serious and said the federation also took seriously Honda’s roughly nine-month delay in reporting it. In its notice, the federation said it would continue compliance education to prevent a recurrence and restore trust.
SwimSwam, citing Yahoo Japan, said the suspension will take effect once the federation confirms Honda received the official notice mailed on Thursday. Nikkan Sports cited the federation’s vice president as saying it takes effect upon delivery and could begin as early as 6 November 2026.
On that prospective timetable, Nikkan Sports projects that the suspension would run through the April 2028 national selection meet and the July Los Angeles Olympics, ending in early August 2028. It says Honda would therefore be unable to compete at the selection meet and his Olympic participation would effectively be ruled out.
UK Anti-Doping says the rugby league player’s suspension expired on 21 June 2026 and he is free to compete again.
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Mana Ishikawa won the 200m individual medley in 2:13.06, ahead of Chang Mohan in 2:13.90 and Stela Megelova in 2:16.38. Ana Bobanovic won the 50m freestyle in 25.45, ahead of Alyssa Lawson in 25.74 and Paulina Bialiauskaya in 25.97, then took 50m butterfly silver in 27.33 behind Serafima Fokina’s 27.28 and ahead of Victoria Fernanda Garcia’s 27.49. Iori Miyazaki won the boys’ 200m individual medley in 2:00.71, Zdenek Prochazka the boys’ 50m freestyle in 22.54 and Zain Ali the boys’ 50m butterfly in 24.06.
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His relatives said Mkhoyan was among 9 people killed in the November 3 crash and had also won international tournaments.
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