Luana Alonso, a swimmer from Paraguay, made her only appearance in Paris on the first day of the Olympics. Apparently she stayed in the Olympic village to explore the French capital. That doesn't suit the national federation at all.
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- Although she was eliminated long ago, according to media reports, swimmer Luana Alonso from Paraguay stayed longer in the Olympic Village and went sightseeing in Paris.
- In the end, she is said to have been asked by her country's National Olympic Committee to vacate her bed.
- Alonso denies the reports and says: "I wasn't kicked out anywhere."
Luana Alonso's Olympic adventure in Paris began on the very first day of competition - and ended straight away. The 20-year-old swimmer from Paraguay failed in the preliminary heat of the 100-meter butterfly.
It was Alonso's last appearance as a swimmer. She then announced her retirement on Instagram. However, there was (still) no thought of going home. Apparently, Alonso still wanted to explore Paris, as numerous photos on her Instagram page show.
According to media reports, however, the swimmer continued to stay overnight in the Olympic Village - much to the annoyance of her country's National Olympic Committee. In an email to the athlete, which was leaked by South American media, managing director Larissa Schaerer wrote to Alonso: "Your presence in the village is creating an inappropriate atmosphere in Team Paraguay." The swimmer was asked to vacate her bed in the Olympic village immediately.
"I wasn't kicked out anywhere"
Other athletes in the Olympic village who were still taking part in the competitions are said to have felt disturbed by Alonso's presence. The 20-year-old quickly complied with the request and left the Olympic village, according to numerous international media outlets that picked up on the story.
Alsonso herself, however, denied the reports and wrote in an Instagram story on Tuesday night: "I want to make it clear that I wasn't kicked out or expelled anywhere. Stop spreading false information!"
However, Alonso still benefited from the widespread coverage. At least if you look at the number of followers on her Instagram account. The number has risen from 349,000 to over 650,000 followers since the start of the Olympic Games.
