Olympic swimmer shares emotional message after being sent home for breaking major rule with her boyfriend
Topics: Olympics, Sport, Social Media
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@_anavieeiraa
Topics: Olympics, Sport, Social Media
The first athlete to be sent home in the Paris 2024 Olympics has posted a message on Instagram hitting back at her treatment.
Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira got into hot water after sneaking out of the athletes' village without permission.
She did this to spend a night in Paris with her boyfriend and fellow Olympian swimmer Gabriel Santos.
Vieira, who competed on (July 27) alongside her fellow Brazilian teammates in the 4x100 meters freestyle relay in which they finished 12th in the heats, was caught out after posting about their night on social media.
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Could have probably avoided all of aggro if she and her boyfriend kept their pictures offline... but live and learn.
The day before the Olympics started, the pair went out in Paris to take in the sights, however after it was discovered they snuck out, Santos was given a warning and apologized.
Vieira allegedly argued the decision and the The Head of the Brazilian Swimming Team, Gustavo Otsuka, had some choice words for her.
In a statement he said: “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."
However, Vieira took to Instagram on Sunday to post an update about the situation and said she is without her belongings.
She also said she had filed a suit of harassment within the team.
"I left there and left my materials. I didn't know what to do. My things are there [in the Olympic Village]. I went to the airport in shorts," Vieira said in the video.
"I had to open my suitcase at the airport. I'm in Portugal. I'm going to Recife and then to Sao Paulo. I am helpless.
"I have had no access to anything. I have not been able to speak to anyone. They told me to contact the COB channels. But how am I going to get in touch?
“I have already filed a complaint of harassment, and nothing has been resolved, harassment within the team.”
Vieira insisted she wasn’t going to stop there and planned to take the alleged issues further.
She continued: "I will speak to my lawyers. I promise to tell everything. I am sad, nervous, but with peace of mind because I know who I am. I know what my character and my nature are.
"I hope to be able to defend Brazilian women's swimming with great pride. I ask for patience and thank you."
UNILAD has contacted the Brazilian Olympic Committee for comment.