Paraguayan Swimmer Luana Alonso has responded to reports that she was removed from the Olympic Village in Paris after what the Paraguayan Olympic Committee described as Alonso “creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay.”
According to reports, Alonso became a “distraction” by wearing inappropriate outfits instead of the official gear of Team Paraguay inside the Olympic Village, which serves as a residential complex for all Olympic athletes.
On her Instagram Stories, Alonso pushed back on the idea that she was kicked out of the Olympic Village, although she chose not respond to any of the other allegations.
“I just wanted to clarify that they never removed me or expelled me from anywhere,” Alonso wrote. “Stop spreading false information. I don’t want to give any statement, but I’m not going to let lies affect me either.”
In its statement, the Paraguayan Olympic Committee did say that “it was of [Alonso’s] own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes’ Village,” so it could be true that she wasn’t technically expelled from the Olympic Village. Instead, she was likely asked to leave and complied with the request.
Other reports indicate that Alonso was also criticized for not attending events of fellow Paraguayan team members and instead chose to go to Disneyland Paris and tour other parts of the city.
After failing to advance to the women’s 100m butterfly semifinals more than a week ago, Luana Alonso announced that she was retiring as a swimmer. This is the second Olympic Games for the 20-year-old athlete. She competed in the 2020 Games in Tokyo.