Japanese swimmer admits camera theft

Japan expelled top swimmer Naoya Tomita from the Asian Games after he admitted stealing a journalist's camera at the Incheon pool, his team said yesterday.

South Korean prosecutors are now considering whether to press charges over the case and the 25-year-old will have to pay for his own ticket back to Japan, officials said.

Tomita, who is barred from leaving the country in the meantime, was questioned by police over the incident and has apologised, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) said, calling it a "very serious violation" of its code of conduct.

The US$7,600 ($9,700) camera, belonging to a journalist with a South Korean news agency, went missing at the Asian Games pool on Thursday.

Tomita was detained after police studied images from closed circuit cameras, which showed him putting the camera into his bag, officials said. - AFP.