Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira and her teammate, as well as boyfriend, Gabriel Santos, have faced penalties at the Paris Olympics.
The Olympics are already making headlines as a couple was caught breaking a major rule.
According to reports, Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira has been sent home from the Paris Games, while her teammate and boyfriend, Gabriel Santos, received a warning after they were caught red-handed doing something that’s a big ‘no-no.’
The Brazilian Olympic Committee announced on Sunday, July 28, that Vieira left the athletes’ village with her boyfriend without obtaining permission.
The two swimmers left the village, where most athletes for the Paris Games are staying, without their team’s knowledge. Their infraction was discovered through their social media posts.
The Committee reportedly received a statement from Gustavo Otsuka, the Head of the Brazilian Swimming Team, on Saturday, July 27. The statement explained that the swimmers had committed acts of indiscipline.
This meant that the members of the sport’s Technical Commission, the Team Leader, and the Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports (CBDA) had to decide on an appropriate punishment.
The CBDA and the COB ultimately decided to punish the swimmers for leaving the Olympic Village without authorization.
According to the CBDA, athlete Ana Carolina’s response to the decision was deemed disrespectful and aggressive. As a result, rather than receiving a warning like Santos, she was dismissed outright.
The statement read: “As a result, Gabriel Santos received a warning, while Ana Carolina Vieira was dismissed from the delegation and will return to Brazil immediately.”
Santos had apparently been eliminated in the heats of the men’s 4×100 freestyle and was reprimanded after apologizing.
No further action has been confirmed against the swimmer’s boyfriend, but his girlfriend is facing serious consequences.
Gustavo Otsuka, Brazil’s swimming team leader, explained the decision and the reasons why her behavior was deemed unacceptable to Reuters.
He said: “We’re not here to play around or take a vacation.”
“We’re working on behalf of Brazil and the 200 million taxpayers who support us.”
“We can’t afford to be casual about this. She took an entirely inappropriate stance to express her frustration over the relay formation.”
He went on to explain that her aggressive manner was ultimately her downfall, leading to her being expelled from the Olympics—a stage that athletes dream of competing on.
Otsuka continued: “It was during this period that we decided to take this situation to the disciplinary committee, discussed it and took the appropriate action. We ended up finding out through the posts.”
The Paris Games began on Friday, July 26, and will continue until August 11, with Vieira absent from contributing to her national team.
After her departure, commenters flocked to her Instagram account to speculate on the decision to remove her, clearly dissatisfied with her tearful apology shared in her Stories.
