- Brazilian swimmer Vieira sneaked out of the Olympic Village without permission
- She was joined by her partner, fellow Brazilian swimmer Gabriel Santos.
- Both had already seen their participation in the Games end after their elimination.
An Olympic athlete has been banned from the Games after sneaking out of the Village to sample Parisian nightlife.
Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira went out into the city without permission with her boyfriend, fellow swimmer Gabriel Santos, after her country was eliminated from the 4x100m freestyle relay.
The 22-year-old sneaked out of the village to meet Santos on July 26 without permission. According to Brazilian media, when the Brazilian Olympic Committee detained her for the indiscretion, she insulted those present and was then quickly sent on a flight back to her country.
Brazil’s governing body called his reaction “disrespectful and aggressively defiant.”
His teammate Santos, who was eliminated in the men’s 4×100 freestyle heats, was also disciplined, although he reportedly apologized for breaking the rules.
Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira was sent home after sneaking out of the village without permission
The 22-year-old was accompanied by her partner, fellow Brazilian swimmer Gabriel Santos (right).
Vieira shared a picture of the couple outside the Eiffel Tower before the start of the Games.
“The Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports (CBDA) has decided to sanction the two athletes for having left the Olympic Village without authorization last Friday,” the organization’s statement begins.
‘In addition to this fact, the athlete Ana Carolina, in a disrespectful and aggressive manner, challenged the technical decision taken by the Brazilian Swimming Team committee.
‘Athlete Gabriel Santos was thus sanctioned with a warning and athlete Ana Carolina Vieira was sanctioned with expulsion from the delegation. She will return to Brazil immediately.’
Brazil’s swimming team leader Gustavo Otsuka told Reuters: “We are not here to play or take a vacation.
“We are here working for Brazil, for the 200 million taxpayers who work for us. We cannot play here. She adopted a completely inappropriate position to express her point of view, her dismay, about the formation of the replacement.”
The couple is part of the Esporte Clube Pinheiros, one of the Brazilian athletics clubs with the most athletes at the Paris Olympics.
Vieira was immediately sent back to Brazil following her reaction to being reprimanded, while Santos was given a warning and apologised.
Brazil’s governing body called his reaction “disrespectful and aggressively defiant.”
Vieira regularly shares pictures of the couple on her Instagram page, which has more than 26,000 followers. She made her Olympic debut at the last Tokyo Games.
Santos, meanwhile, was competing in his third Games, having made his Olympic debut at his home country’s Games in 2016.
