One of the Olympics’ most glamorous stars has been banned from the official athletes’ village after allegedly creating an “inappropriate atmosphere”.
Athletes competing in the Games are housed in the village, where they are allowed to mingle, train, eat and relax together.
However, the Paraguayan national team has asked one of its stars to leave the village after refusing to allow him to stay until the end of the competition, which officially closes on Sunday, August 11.
Swimmer Luana Alonso had an intense participation in the Games, as she finished sixth in the 100-meter butterfly, 0.24 seconds behind Georgian Ana Nizharadze, and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals of the event.
She then sensationally announced her retirement from swimming in a social media post to her nearly 500,000 Instagram followers, but has remained in Paris ever since.
Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso was expelled from the official sports village
Alonso allegedly “created an inappropriate environment” that led to his dismissal
Alonso, pictured during the opening ceremony, has nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram.
The 20-year-old retired from swimming after finishing sixth in her only swim at the Games.
Alonso (seen left before her race) just missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly.
Now the Paraguayan team has removed the 20-year-old from the Olympic village, citing Alonso’s “inappropriate behaviour” as justification for doing so as the Olympics enter their final week of competition.
The statement did not elaborate on what his inappropriate behavior was.
A statement from Larissa Schaerer, head of the COP mission, said: “Their presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay.
‘We thank you for having acted as instructed, as it was of your own free will that you did not spend the night in the Athletes’ Village.’
Alonso’s Instagram story suggests she has since returned to the United States, where she attends school, after posting a short video on social media showing her driving towards a border control crossing.
Alonso confirmed his retirement with this message he posted on Instagram
Alonso bumped into Rafael Nadal (right) during the matches and shared a photo of the couple on X
The Paraguayan star began swimming at an early age and competed for the first time at age 11.
The swimmer was not allowed by her team to remain in the Olympic Village until the end of the Games.
Alonso had already competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed due to COVID
The Paraguayan already made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games four years ago and is one of the youngest competitors to retire at just 20 years old.
Confirming her retirement last week, Alonso said: ‘Swimming: thank you for allowing me to dream, you taught me to fight, to try, perseverance, sacrifice, discipline and much more.
‘I gave you part of my life and I wouldn’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 in my heart, unique opportunities.
“It’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you soon.”
Earlier last week, she posted a photo on her X account with Rafael Nadal.
Alonso was congratulated by many on social media after the news of her retirement, but she clarified that she had made the decision some time ago in an interview with Claro Sports.
In an Instagram story on Sunday night, she appeared to confirm that she had traveled to the United States.
‘Guys, I made my decision a long time ago! It wasn’t because of the matches! 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.”
Alonso had previously competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo at age 17.
The 20-year-old also appeared at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary and the South American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, that same year.
He attends Southern Methodist University near Dallas, Texas, and also swims for the Dallas Mustangs.