Japanese gymnast has a $5k phone bill from using Pokemon Go in Rio
Japan’s Kohei Uchimura is in Rio de Janeiro with the rest of the nation’s gymnastic team, but when he is not training to defend his 2012 gold medal in the all-around, he is training his Charmander to become a Charizard.
It seems the Olympian has taken quite an interest in the popular Pokemon Go game, which is an expensive habit. Uchimura received a $4,954 bill from his wireless carrier because of roaming data charges he had accrued while playing the game, according to ESPN.
Luckily for the champion, his cell phone company is stepping up to support Uchimura, retroactively transferring him to a much more manageable $30-a-day unlimited roaming plan and saving him from the massive tab.
Uchimura and the Japanese men, who took silver as a team in London four years ago, will hit the gym for individual qualifying on Day 1 of the games, with team finals taking place on Day 3 and the individual all-around final being held on Day 5.
