Featured Image Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images/FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Olympics, Sport, World News
Ella Scott
Topics: Olympics, Sport, World News
A Paraguayan swimmer has been removed from the Olympic Village for creating an alleged ‘inappropriate environment’.
It’s not a requirement that athletes competing at the Summer Games in Paris reside in the Olympic Village, but many choose to stay there to soak up the atmosphere with their fellow athletes.
Tennis stars Coco Gauff and Rafa Nadal are two of the big names who occupied the area for the duration of their tennis tournaments alongside now-retired swimmer Luana Alonso.
The 20-year-old, who holds multiple Paraguayan records in the butterfly discipline, has been eating, training and spending time in the area.
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However, it’s recently been announced that Alonso has been asked to leave the Olympic Village ahead of the closing ceremony this Sunday (August 11) as per The Daily Mail.
The swimmer, who failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women's 100m butterfly after finishing with a time of 1:03.09 in her heat, has allegedly been kicked out of the temporary estate for creating an ‘inappropriate environment'.
"Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay,” explained Larissa Schaerer, the head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee mission, said.
"We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes' Village."
At the time of writing, neither Schaerer, Alonso, nor Team Paraguay has expanded further on what was ‘inappropriate’ about the Olympian’s behaviour.
Following Alonso's failure to reach beyond her swimming heat, the Texas student took to Instagram to announce her immediate retirement from the sport.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote: "Swimming: thank you for allowing me to dream, you taught me to fight, to try, perseverance, sacrifice, discipline and many more.
"I gave you part of my life and I don't change it for anything in the world because I lived the best experiences of my life, you gave me thousands of joys, friends from other countries that I will always carry them in my heart, unique opportunities.
"It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon.”
Alonso has since clarified her reason for retiring, telling Claro Sports that it was a decision she made a ‘long time ago’.
“It wasn't because of the games! So nothing, I just have to thank everyone who always supported me,” she continued.
"It didn’t happen the way I wanted it to. I sincerely apologise to Paraguay, but I did what I could, despite several things that happened to me before.
“So, I’m happy and also to retire here with a full stadium and finally have the Olympic Games."
LADbible has previously reached out to Alonso and the Paraguayan Olympic Committee for further comment.