Olympic swimmer Luana Alonso removed from Athletes' Village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'

5 August 2024, 15:37 | Updated: 5 August 2024, 16:05

Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'
Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'. Picture: Instagram

By Danielle de Wolfe

An Olympic swimmer has been removed from the Paris 2024 Athletes' Village over claims she created an "inappropriate environment".

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Swimmer and social media influencer, Luana Alonso, who has more than half a million followers, was ordered out of the village by Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP) chief Larissa Schaerer.

It's claimed the athlete had not met performance expectations for "some time" but returned to the village in civilian clothing after announcing her retirement on the first day of the Paris games.

The blonde athlete was ordered out of the village by the chief and into a separate hotel until her flight for the US departed from France two days later.

Ms Alonso, who previously competed at the Tokyo games, was accused of creating an "inappropriate atmosphere" among her team-mates.

Things went from bad to worse for the athlete and influencer, after she finished sixth in the 100m butterfly in Paris, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the semi-finals of the event.

Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'
Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'. Picture: Instagram

Ms Schaerer said: ‘She has not met the parameters of a high-performance athlete for some time."

The Paraguayan Chief continued: "This was reported by her coach. Her situation, like that of every athlete, was going to be reviewed upon her return: an evaluation is made after the Olympic Games and the process is reviewed, how she behaved and how she was handling the preparation and her competitions."

She added: "We had problems with her in fulfilling that process."

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Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'
Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'. Picture: Instagram

The swimmer was set to announce her retirement from swimming after competing in her event on Saturday.

"She [Luana Alonso] competed on Saturday the 27th [July] and when she finished competing, she declared that she was going to retire," Ms Schaerer said.

"We were not aware of that, not even her coach. It was a decision that we respect," Schaerer told Radio Monumental 1080 AM.

Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'
Olympics swimmer Luana Alonso removed from athletes village over claims she created an 'inappropriate environment'. Picture: Instagram

Taking to social media, the swimmer confirmed her retirement last week.

Taking to instagram on the day of her race, the Athlete said: "It's official now! I'm retiring from swimming!"

"Swimming: thank you for allowing me to dream, you taught me to fight, to try, perseverance, sacrifice, discipline and many more. 

"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."

The swimmer was set to announce her retirement from swimming after competing in her event on Saturday.
The swimmer was set to announce her retirement from swimming after competing in her event on Saturday. Picture: Instagram

"She sent the email and was authorized to stop belonging to our delegation," she recalled.

"The next day, on Sunday the 28th, I ran into her at the Olympic Village.‘She was dressed to go out, in her own clothes, not with clothes for the delegation.

"He told me that he went to take some headphones to Matheo Mateos,' he said, adding that she reminded her that he could no longer enter the Athletes Village.

Alonso, who has now travelled to the United States after being removed from the village, even claimed she would run for the position of Minister of Sport in the future.

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