The USA Olympic swimming team is known for drumming up scandal, but Paraguay’s swimming team has taken up the problem child mantle for the 2024 Olympics. Unfortunately, Luana Alonso’s time in the Olympic Village might’ve been cut shorter than she would’ve hoped for.
Although athletes from all over the world have complained about the pitiful lodging conditions in Paris, Alonso was not one of the many who decided to join the fray and blast the abysmal setup. However, she did enjoy an impromptu trip to Disneyland Paris after coming up short for her event, the 100m butterfly heat, thus ending her pursuit for the gold (or even silver or bronze). Unfortunately, her decision reportedly prompted disciplinary action in the form of removal from the village.
In case you didn’t know, athletes are allowed to remain in the Olympic Village until two days after the last athlete on their team concludes their last event. So even though Alonso may not have been able to continue in the competition, the plan was always for her to stick around until team Paraguay swam their final race. “Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay,” said Paraguayan Olympic Committee boss Larissa Schaerer in a statement. “We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes’ Village.” If you’re thinking that phrasing sounds a little harsh for a brief visit with Mickey Mouse, you’d be right.
Was Luana Alonso behaving badly at the Olympics?
Luana Alonso’s expulsion from the Olympic Village reportedly wasn’t only related to her whimsical Disneyland excursion, which she reportedly documented across her various social media accounts. Instead, it was reported that Alonso was forced to leave because the higher ups weren’t happy with her decision to reach for skin-baring looks that veered away from her country’s designated uniforms. She was also reportedly spending her free time chumming it up with other players, which was frowned upon. Basically? It seems like the powers that be didn’t like that Alonso was carving out time to let her hair down while in Paris.
With that said, Alonso has since released a statement decrying the official narrative about her exit. While most of the various reports of her Olympic conduct have painted her as a young, irresponsible athlete who didn’t understand the gravity of the position she was in, Alonso has stepped up to the mic to say that’s not true. “I just wanted to clarify that I was never kicked out or expelled from anywhere. Please stop spreading false information,” Alonso said in a statement (via Daily Mail). “I don’t want to make any statement but I’m not going to let lies affect me either,” she continued. Unfortunately, though, this was the athlete’s last chance to prove her athletic prowess at the Olympics.
Social media reacts to Luana Alonso’s departure
Luana Alonso’s swimming days are in her rearview mirror, as she’s decided to hang up her swimwear forever. “It’s official now! I’m retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for the support! Sorry Paraguay … I only have to thank you!” Alonso posted to Instagram on July 27. One day later, she added, “Swimming: thank you for allowing me to dream. You taught me to fight, to try, perseverance, sacrifice, discipline and many more.” She continued, “I gave you part of my life and I don’t change it for anything in the world because I lived the best experiences of my life. You gave me thousands of joys, friends from other countries that I will always carry them in my heart, unique opportunities.”
However, social media has reacted to Alonso’s exit with a barrage of opinions, ranging from some pretty disrespectful theories about how her beauty and physicality may have led to her getting ousted to some middle-brow opinions about her side hustle as an influencer. “Let’s be honest she went there with no intention of winning a medal, but to use it as a free vacation and exposure to increase her 500k followers,” tweeted one user. “She apparently wore inappropriate attire in the village as well as her trip to Disneyland.” With that said, one user summed it up best, writing, “Sounds to me like they can’t handle a powerful woman.”
We can’t wait to see the athlete’s next career pivot.
