A young swimmer is at the center of controversy after allegedly being kicked out of the Olympic Village for creating an "inappropriate" environment.
Luana Alonso, a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who was competing at the Olympics for her native Paraguay, according to the report, is a specialist at the 100m butterfly. She debuted in the Tokyo Olympics placing 28th in the 100m butterfly. During the Paris Olympics, Alonso took part in the same competition, but she did not advance to the semifinals, coming in 6th place.
However, it wasn't her performance during the Paris Olympics that has shined a spotlight on the 20-year-old. Rather it is her alleged behavior, including her leaving the Olympic Village, that was not to the liking of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee.
After announcing she was retiring from swimming during the Paris Olympics, Alonso was allegedly seen taking in the sites of the City of Lights and even going to Disneyland Paris, all this while still staying at the Olympic Village.
Larissa Schaerer, mission head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, asked for her to immediately leave the Olympic Village, saying that her presence "had created an inappropriate environment for the Paraguayan team," according to the report.
Alonso documented the visit to Disneyland Paris with photos on Instagram after she failed to advance out of her heat and into the women’s100m butterfly semifinals on July 27.
Alonso modeled a pair of Mickey Mouse ears in front of the castle at Disneyland Park in a few snapshots, while another featured two champagne flutes toasting at the park. The drinking age in France is 18.
The photos were posted to a highlight on her Instagram account on July 29.
Paraguayan media outlets reported that Alonso chose a tourist destination over supporting her teammates, which upset the country’s Olympic leadership.
Alonso checked into a hotel in Paris and visited high-end stores and restaurants after she was asked to leave the Olympic Village, according to the report.
“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.”
She also announced her retirement from the sport on social media after the race.
Alonso appeared to be back in the U.S. on Monday when she posted a photo of an American flag to her Instagram Story.
It’s difficult to know everything that goes on inside the Olympic Village, which spans parts of three cities — Saint-Denis, Saint Ouen and L’Île-Saint-Denis — and accommodates 14,250 athletes.
The rules in the Olympic Village also differ depending on the host country — and teams can follow their own guidelines.
Athletes are also required to uphold social media guidelines at the Paris Olympics.
“Athletes staying in the Olympic Village are also required to respect the protected atmosphere and privacy of the Olympic Village and are not allowed to report on the activities of other residents, unless they have obtained such other persons’ consent beforehand,” the 2024 Paris Games guidelines state.
“Please note that it is forbidden to take photos or to record audio or video in restricted areas, including but not limited to the medical areas or doping control station.”
Athletes must reside with the team they’re representing at the Paris Games.
“We can’t share an apartment with another country,” Team USA’s Olympic Village Director Daniel Smith told People prior to the Summer Games.
Athletes can leave the Olympic Village to see their friends and family, who are not allowed entry into the Olympic Village.
There is an exception for nursing athletes, who are allowed to bring their infants into the Olympic Village.
Some teams also implement quiet hours in their Olympic Village residence halls.
“This is a distraction-free environment,” Smith emphasized repeatedly.
“[Athletes] can do as they please. It doesn’t mean they have to be in their rooms by 10:00 p.m. We just can’t have music blaring out of an apartment at 10-11 p.m. just to make sure people are getting their rest and recovery and they’re ready to train or compete the following day.”
Team USA, specifically, follows a no-alcohol policy in the Olympic Village in order to respect athletes who are still competing in the latter half of the games.
Smith explained that things “get a little tricky” when some events, such as rugby, begin July 24 and conclude July 30.
“They still have another 12 days in the Village,” Smith said, adding that some may want to “go have fun” and celebrate after their event is finished.
“So we have to set some specific guidelines so that there’s just a general level of respect across the board. Everyone is in competition mode until the games finish on Aug. 12. So that is why we put those parameters in place.”
“… At the end of the day, a lot of these folks are adults. The majority of them are adults, and they’ll make their decisions. But within this space, we have to be very high performance focused.”
Olympic swimmer Luana Alonso has been kicked out of the Paris 2024 Olympic Village after allegations of creating an "inappropriate environment."
The Paraguayan swimmer recently finished last in the women's 100m butterfly heat, trailing Helena Rosendahl Bach by five seconds. Alonso has announced her retirement from swimming after gaining popularity online. Normally, eliminated athletes can still stay at the Olympic Village in Paris.
However, she is now barred from staying at the village. Larissa Schaerer, head of the COP mission, stated, "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." Alonso has not yet responded to the allegations.
News of the 20-year-old swimmer’s ban emerged shortly after she announced her retirement from the sport. On Instagram, where she has 491,000 followers, she wrote, “It’s official now! I’m retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for the support! Sorry Paraguay, I only have to thank you!”
Explaining her choice, she said, “I am very emotional because it was my last race. I am retiring from swimming. I have been swimming for 18 years and have so many emotions."
"Unfortunately, I decided to stop, but I’m glad my final race is at the Olympic Games.” Alonso, who also competed at the Tokyo Olympics, noted that she had made this decision "a long time ago."'
She explained, “People, my decision was made a long time ago! It wasn’t because of the Games! So, I just have to thank everyone who has always supported me.”
Having finished last in her final race she apologised to her supporters in Paraguay saying “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.”
The name of Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso has been everywhere after it was revealed that the athlete was expelled from the 2024 Olympics and had to leave the Olympic Village in Paris following an "inappropriate environment."
Luana is now back at her home in the United States, announcing on social media that she had returned to her college life at SMU in Dallas, Texas.
The swimmer retired from the Paris Olympics after failing to qualify in the 100-meter butterfly semifinals. However, it was also reported that she made an unauthorized trip to Disneyland, which cut short her stay at the Olympics.
Luana competed in the women's 100m butterfly heats, and finished sixth, failing to continue. It was reported that she planned to remain in the Village for the rest of the competitions until mid-August.
Despite her plans, team officials considered that she had to depart early after "inappropriate actions." Local media revealed that she spent a night at Disneyland instead of staying to support her teammates.
"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," Paraguayan Olympic Committee boss Larissa Schaerer stated.
Luana has yet to talk about the situation. The 20-year-old athlete had previously competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, and the South American Games in Asuncion.
Paraguay’s Luana Alonso made waves at the 2024 Paris Olympics resulting in her expulsion from the Olympic Village.
“Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay,” the head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Larissa Schaerer, said in a statement on Monday, August 5, via The Sun.
Schaerer continued: “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.”
Alonso, 20, failed to advance to the women’s 100m butterfly semifinals on July 27 and subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.
However, she reportedly caused a stir in the Olympic Village throughout the games by wearing inappropriate outfits and not the official Paraguay team gear. The swimmer allegedly became a “distraction,” according to The Daily Mail, because of her wardrobe and her disregard for the rules in the village, which is where most athletes sleep throughout the games.
Alonso was also criticized for going to Disneyland Paris and exploring the city instead of supporting her teammates. While she was allowed to stay and watch the rest of the events, Alonso was asked to move to a hotel, which she agreed to without conflict.
Ahead of her Olympic Village departure, Alonso turned heads when she shared her retirement with her social media fans before allegedly telling the Olympic chiefs.
“It’s official now! I’m retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for the support!” the athlete wrote on July 27 via Instagram in Spanish, which has been translated into English. “Sorry Paraguay ♥️ I only have to thank you!”
She shared a second message the next day, writing, “Swimming: thank you for allowing me to dream, you taught me to fight, to try, perseverance, sacrifice, discipline and many more.”
Alonso concluded, “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 made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She didn’t medal in Tokyo or Paris.
