Brazilian swimmer BANNED from Olympics after sneaking out of village without permission to ‘have a night out in Paris’ with boyfriend
- Brazilian swimmer Vieira sneaked out of Olympic Village without permission
- She was accompanied by her partner, Brazilian swimmer Gabriel Santos
- Both had already seen their participation in the Games end after elimination
An Olympic athlete has been banned from the Games after sneaking out of the village to explore Paris’ nightlife.
Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira went out on the town 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 without permission to meet Santos on July 26. According to Brazilian media, the Brazilian Olympic Committee scolded her when she was detained for her indiscretion and quickly sent her back home.
Brazil’s sports federation described her reaction as “disrespectful and aggressively challenging”.
Her partner Santos, who was eliminated in the heats of the men’s 4x100m freestyle, was also penalised, although he reportedly apologised for the rule breach.
Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira has been sent home after sneaking out of the village without permission
The 22-year-old was accompanied by her partner, Brazilian swimmer Gabriel Santos (right)
Vieira shared a photo of the couple outside the Eiffel Tower ahead of the start of the Games
“The Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports (CBDA), the COB, has decided to punish the two athletes for leaving the Olympic Village without permission last Friday,” the body’s statement began.
‘In addition, the athlete Ana Carolina has disrespectfully and aggressively challenged the technical decision of the Brazilian swimming team committee.
‘Athlete Gabriel Santos was punished with a warning and athlete Ana Carolina Vieira was punished with expulsion from the delegation. She will return to Brazil immediately.’
Brazil swimming team leader Gustavo Otsuka told Reuters: “We are not here to play or go on holiday.
“We are here to work for Brazil, for the 200 million taxpayers who work for us. We cannot play here. She took a completely inappropriate position to make her point, her dismay, about the formation of the relay.”
The couple are part of the Esporte Clube Pinheiros, one of the Brazilian athletics clubs with the most athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Vieira was immediately sent back to Brazil after responding to the reprimand, while Santos was given a warning and apologized
The Brazilian sports federation described her reaction as “disrespectful and aggressively challenging”
Vieira regularly shares photos of the pair on her Instagram page, which has more than 26,000 followers. She made her Olympic debut at the last Games in Tokyo.
Santos was now competing for the third time at the Games, having made his Olympic debut at his home Games in 2016.
