Brazilian swimmer sent home from Olympics for sneaking out with boyfriend considers legal action

A Brazilian swimmer who was sent home from Paris 2024 for sneaking out of the athlete village with her boyfriend is considering legal action against her country’s national federation.

Ana Carolina Vieira was allegedly caught trying to leave the village with her partner Gabriel Santos after crashing out of the 4x100m freestyle relay last Saturday when Brazil finished seventh in their heat.

The pair were reprimanded by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), which labelled their actions as “disrespectful and aggressively challenging” and took the radical step of banishing them from the Games.

But the 22-year-old Sao Paulo athlete has now broken her silence on the matter, claiming on Instagram that she was innocent and has filed a harassment complaint against the federation.

In the video posted on her account, Vieira confirmed she had returned home without her belongings – which she left at the athletes’ village in Paris – and described herself as feeling “helpless”.

She added: “‘I have already filed a complaint of harassment and nothing has been resolved, harassment within the team.

“I will speak to my lawyers. I promise to tell everything. I am sad, nervous, but with a peace of mind because I know who I am, I know what my character and my nature are.”

Speaking about the rule violation, Brazil’s swim team leader, Gustavo Otsuka, told Reuters that athletes such as Vieira were not in Paris to “play or take a vacation.”

“We’re here working for Brazil, for the 200 million taxpayers who are working for us,” he said. “We can’t play around here. She took a completely inappropriate position to make her point, her dismay, about the formation of the relay.”

Vieira previously represented her nation at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where her team finished 12th in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Santos was taking part in his third Games.

In a statement, the COB said: “The Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports (CBDA), the COB decided to punish the two athletes for having left the Olympic Village without authorisation last Friday.

“In addition to this fact, the athlete Ana Carolina, in a disrespectful and aggressive manner, contested the technical decision taken by the Brazilian Swimming Team committee.

“Thus, athlete Gabriel Santos was punished with a warning and athlete Ana Carolina Vieira was punished with removal from the delegation. She will return to Brazil immediately.”

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