Daiya Seto Resigns as Japan’s Olympic Captain After Extra-Marital Affair

Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

World champion Daiya Seto has resigned as captain of Japan’s Olympic swimming team on Wednesday after admitting to an extramarital affair, according to the Japan Times.

Seto visited the Japan Swimming Federation Wednesday, according to the Times, and submitted his resignation as captain for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. He was originally named team captain in January.

“I’m very sorry,” Seto said, according to a federation executive that spoke with the Japan Times. “I want to do my best to restore peoples’ trust, so I ask for your continuing support in this effort.”

According to the report, Seto’s agent issued an apology last Thursday, a day after a magazine published a story about him being at a “love hotel” with someone other than his wife.

Daiya Seto’s sponsors have also weighed in on the situation. According to the report, he will forgo his image-rights agreement with the Japanese Olympic Committee. All Nippon Airways Co. has also severed ties with Seto.

“We have been supporting Seto, but this problem does not fit with the image our company hopes to project,” the company told the Times.

Seto is the reigning world champion in the 200-meter individual medley and 400-meter individual medley and has been one of the world’s elite for several years. He has turned in some of his best performances in the past two years, including worlds and the Kitajima Cup to open 2020. He earned the bronze medal in the 400 IM at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Here is Seto’s place among the top 400 IM swimmers in history:

The All-Time Top 5 in 400 IM:

4:03.84 2008 Michael Phelps, USA
4:05.18 2012 Ryan Lochte, USA
4:05.90 2017 Chase Kalisz, USA
4:06.05 2016 Kosuke Hagino, Japan
4:06.09 2020 Daiya Seto, Japan

Source: State of Swimming

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