Swimmer Ana Viera was excluded from her country’s Olympic delegation and must return home, the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) announced. Swimmer Gabriel Santos was warned. Both had left the Olympic Village without the association’s permission.
“The COB therefore decided, in agreement with the members of the Technical Committee of Sports and the Brazilian Aquatics Federation, to punish the two athletes for this,” the statement said. Viera reacted “disrespectfully and aggressively” to the decision and contested it. As a result, she was completely excluded from the Olympic team, while Santos got off with a warning.
“We are not here for pleasure or for vacation”
“We are not here for fun or for a holiday,” said the head of the Brazilian swimming team, Gustavo Otsuka. “We are here to work for Brazil, for the more than 200 million taxpayers who work for us.” According to Brazilian media reports, the couple visited the Eiffel Tower together and posted photos of it on social media. This is how those responsible in the Brazilian team are said to have become aware of the unauthorized trip.
