Five members of Australia’s Olympic silver medal-winning men’s hockey team have been reprimanded after leaving the athletes’ village to buy alcohol.
One group of players went to a nearby store on Friday at 3am and bought two cases of beer. They were gone for about 20 minutes.
Another group left for the store at around 6am but returned without a purchase.
‘The players’ actions were a clear breach of COVID-19 protocols,’ Australia’s chef de mission Ian Chesterman told reporters in Tokyo.
‘They are deeply embarrassed and their teammates know who they are.’
Chesterman said he was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the actions of the five members who he refused to name.
Five members of Australia’s Olympic silver medal-winning men’s hockey team have been reprimanded after leaving the athletes’ village to buy alcohol
One group of the Aussie players went to a nearby store on Friday at 3am and bought two cases of beer. They were gone for about 20 minutes
‘The players’ actions were a clear breach of COVID-19 protocols,’ Australia’s chef de mission Ian Chesterman told reporters in Tokyo. ‘They are deeply embarrassed and their teammates know who they are’
The five men have been told to remain isolating in their rooms, but all five have tested negative.
‘They have not done any harm inside the village or outside the village,’ Chesterman said of the offending Kookaburras.
‘In the Australian culture we celebrate and commiserate over a drink… but we have to be strict on this.’
The team’s coach Colin Batch was less understanding, saying the players had ’embarrassed’ the Kookaburras, the entire Olympic team and the country.
‘They did immediately apologise for their lack of thought and the impact that it has had on the Australian Team,’ he said.
Australia lost in a heartbreaking shootout to Belgium in the gold medal game on Thursday night.
‘While I understand the players’ disappointment following their loss in the gold medal match, we have been abundantly clear about the expectations of this team while we’re in Tokyo,’ the country’s Chef de Mission said.
‘The rules are there to keep the team safe and for us to keep our commitment to the Games’ organisers and to the Japanese people.’
The Kookaburras are set to fly back to Australia on Saturday afternoon where they will undergo two weeks quarantine at the Darwin Covid facility.
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The five men have been told to remain isolating in their rooms, but all five have tested negative
Rugby Australia has reprimanded the Aussie rugby sevens team with several players set to undergo eudcation and counselling sessions regarding behaviour and alcohol consumption after their drunken antics on a Japan Airlines flight home from the Olympics
The news comes after the men’s Australian rugby sevens team were reprimanded and several players compelled to undertake alcohol counselling as a result of the investigation into drunken behaviour on their return flight home from the Olympic games.
Japan Airlines had written a formal complaint to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) over the team’s chanting, singing and excessive drinking throughout the flight from Tokyo on July 30.
Rugby Australia commenced an internal investigation into the behaviour at the request of the AOC, and found a number of players had been disruptive to cabin crew and other passengers.
While the airline also alleged that property had been damaged and players had vomited in their seats and toilets, Rugby Australia found no evidence these problems were caused by the men’s rugby sevens team.
The probe also found players had damaged their accommodation at the Olympic village, destroying a bed and leaving a hole in the wall.
Rugby Australia said the behaviour may impact the allocation of funding for the sevens form of the game.
Andy Marinos, chief executive of Rugby Australia said in a statement, ‘Whilst we acknowledge the disappointment experienced through their Olympic campaign as well as the challenging environment all athletes have had to deal with since the start of the pandemic, this is not an excuse for this behaviour,’.
‘Rugby Australia has a zero-tolerance approach towards poor behaviour and expects the highest standards of conduct at all times.’
Rugby Australia commenced an investigation into the behaviour of the team on their flight home from Tokyo on July 30 after Japan Airlines had written a complaint to the AOC
There are fears for the future of of the sport’s program as chief executive of Rugby Australia said the behaviour could have a bearing on the game’s environment and also future funding
The rugby sevens program is set to be reduced after the Tokyo Olympics with the number of contracted players for the program to be halved.
Several rugby players had complained about the publicity given to the actions on the fight, telling the Herald Sun that it damaged reputations when contracts were ‘on the line.’
‘If someone was sick, it would not be the first time, who cares?’, one player said.
‘Why is rugby being dragged through the mud?’
All members of the men’s sevens team have been formally warned about their future conduct with several members needing to undergo education and counselling sessions regarding behaviour and alcohol consumption.
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