Nippon Badminton Association (NBA) has lifted its indefinite ban on Kenichi Tago today. Tago, 31 was the world No. 63 when he was handed the ban back in 2016, but had been as high as No. 3 in the world rankings. Teammate and current world No. 1 Kento Momota was handed the same ban.
Tago and Momota were levied the suspension because of their visits to illegal gambling casinos. Momota’s ban was subsequently lifted in May 2017, but Tago’s ban stayed owing to the seriousness of his actions.
Jiji.com quotes Kenji Zeniya, managing director of the NBA, saying that the suspension has been lifted as Tago has contributed to popularizing the sport through seminars, coaching and online interactions during his ban. These reasons weighed in for him in making the decision to lift the ban.
Tago on his Youtube channel said, “The indefinite suspension (on me) will be cancelled on November 1, the 2nd year of Reiwa. It has finally come for me. Thank you to all the people who have supported me. Thank you for your continual support.”
On his Instagram, he wrote: “I couldn’t sleep. Chapter 2 for me starts today as TagoKen. Chapter 3 will be Kenichi Tago. I will do my best.”
Whether Kenichi Tago will return to international competition is yet to be seen.