A Brazilian swimmer was expelled from the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday for violating a rule. Swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira was caught sneaking out of the athletes’ village to spend the night with her boyfriend and fellow swimmer, Gabriel Santos. The 22-year-old, who competed in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay on July 27, left the village without permission on the night of July 26.
Both competed in the freestyle relay event
Vieira and Santos, both competed in the freestyle relay event, with Vieira finishing 12th in the heats and Santos being eliminated in the men’s 4×100 freestyle heats. The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) decided to send Vieira home after discovering through her social media posts that she had left the village with the 28-year-old Santos.
Santos was given a warning
Gustavo Otsuka, head of Brazil’s swimming team, reported their “inappropriate” behaviour to the COB, noting that Vieira also contested a technical decision made by the team lead. Although Santos also breached the rules, he was given a warning after apologising.
“The athlete Ana Carolina Vieira, in a disrespectful and aggressive manner, contested a technical decision made by the Brazilian National Swimming Team committee. Consequently, Gabriel Santos received a warning, while Ana Carolina Vieira was dismissed from the delegation and will return to Brazil immediately,” the COB stated, according to the Mirror.
Not here for tourism
Otsuka said, “We are not here for leisure or vacation. We are here to work for Brazil and the 200 million taxpayers supporting us. Her actions were entirely inappropriate. We reviewed the situation and decided to refer it to the disciplinary committee, ultimately taking the necessary action after discovering the posts.”
