Swimmer is removed from the Olympic village for creating an 'inappropriate environment'

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By Kim Novak

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A swimmer has allegedly been asked to leave the Paris Olympic Village after reportedly creating an "inappropriate environment".


Luana Alonso, who had represented Paraguay in the games, had been staying in the Olympic Village alongside her fellow athletes for the duration of the games, but was reportedly asked to leave before the end of the event.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Team Paraguay asked Alonso to leave and would not allow her to stay until the games finish on Sunday (August 11).

Alonso had abruptly announced her retirement on Instagram after she finished sixth in her heat with a time of 1:03.09, and failing to qualify for the semi-finals after swimming more than three seconds slower than her personal best.

GettyImages-1482077786.jpgLuana Alonso had represented Paraguay at the games. Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The 20-year-old took to social media to share some photos of the event, writing alongside them: "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."


It was later claimed that Team Paraguay announced that due to "inappropriate behavior", Alonso had been asked to leave the village before the games ended.

Larissa Schaerer, the head of the COP mission, said: "Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay.

"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."

There is currently no further information on what the alleged "inappropriate" behavior was, but the athlete has now returned to the US where she attends university in Dallas, Texas, and shared footage of her approaching a border control crossing bearing a stars and stripes flag on her Instagram story.

Screenshot 2024-08-05 at 17.08.18.jpgThe athlete shared footage of her returning to the US. Credit: Instagram/luanalonsom

Alonso has yet to address the claims publicly.

While she may have announced the end of her professional career at just 20 years old, Alonso has already got some very impressive achievements under her belt.

She currently holds the Paraguayan records in the 50m, 100m, and 200m Butterfly events, and made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo games in 2021 at just 17 years old.

Alonso also clarified that her decision to retire was nothing to do with her performance at Paris 2024, stating that she'd made the choice "a long time ago."

GettyImages-1482077802.jpgThe swimmer claimed her decision was not as a result of her performance at these games. Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

She told Claro Sports: "People, my decision was made a long time ago! It wasn't because of the games! So nothing, I just have to thank everyone who always supported me.

"It didn’t happen the way I wanted it to. I sincerely apologize 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."

Featured image credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images