GLAMOROUS swimming star Luana Alonso has broken her silence to furiously hit back at reports she was kicked out of the Paris Olympics for creating an “inappropriate atmosphere”.
The Paraguayan athlete, 20, insisted she is a victim of “lies” after it was reported that she was banished from the Paris 2024 Athletes’ Village over her behaviour and visiting Disneyland.
It was claimed Alonso was “distracting” fellow competitors in the Athletes’ Village and was wearing racy outfits rather than her official Olympic uniform.
The swimmer had been seen ditching her national team clothes – and walking around wearing her personal outfits, Mail Online reports.
Bosses at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee were left furious over Alonso’s behaviour, with reports suggesting they booted her out and sent her back home.
A statement chief Larissa Schaerer read: “Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay.
“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.”
However, Alonso said she was never kicked out or expelled from the country’s Olympic campaign – and asked not to spread the misinformation.
In a social media post, she said: “I just wanted to clarify that I was never kicked out or expelled from anywhere, please stop spreading false information.
“I don’t want to make any statement but I’m not going to let lies affect me either.”
Local media claims that Alonso spent a night out in Paris and went to Disneyland rather than staying to support teammates.
She even checked into a hotel in the French capital and visited luxury stores and restaurants.
After failing to progress past the women’s 100m butterfly heats in the Summer Games campaign by a mere 0.24 seconds, Alonso called time on her career and announced her retirement.
After the race, she told her on 310,000 Instagram followers: “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!”
But the star swimmer has yet to confirm she has left France.
Alonso, who competed at the Tokyo Games at 17, insists she didn’t retire on a whim.
“People. My decision was made a long time ago!” she said. “It wasn’t because of the Games!
“So nothing, I just have to thank everyone who always supported me.”
However, a recent report published by Paraguayan media HOY claims Alonso had stated she would prefer to represent the United States -long before the Paris Olympics even kicked off.
She was even heard saying she would prefer going back to Texas, US, rather than going back home.
She said: “I want to represent the United States more.
“It’s not a pleasure to represent Paraguay and if it were up to me, I would go back to college.”
Her surprise retirement comes after another Olympian, Ana Carolina Vieira, 22, was kicked off the Brazilian team after reportedly sneaking out at night from the athletes’ village with her boyfriend.
Vieira and her partner Gabriel Santos, who is also a swimmer, sneaked out of the Olympic Village to go on a night out in Paris, Brazilian media reported.
She allegedly became “disrespectful and aggressive” when the Brazilian Olympic Committee pulled her up on it, so they sent her home.
Day 11 schedule (Tuesday, August 6)
All times BST/ET
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
One of the most highly-anticipated spectacles of Paris 2024 is the 1500m men’s final (7.50pm) – will it be gold for either Josh Kerr or Jakob Ingebrigtsen in their epic rivalry?
World champion Sky Brown, now 16, wants to upgrade her Tokyo bronze to Paris gold in the women’s park skateboarding final but is battling back from a dislocated shoulder (4.30pm).
Ben Maher on board Dallas Vegas Batilly is into the final of the individual jumping equestrian alongside Harry Charles and Scott Brash after coming through the 74-rider qualifying and could defend his Tokyo gold after already securing the team title in Paris (9am).
BRITS TO WATCH
Jack Laugher goes in the 3m springboard diving preliminaries with Jordan Houlden (9am) before Andrea Spendolini Sirieix goes in the 10m platform final (2pm).
Lewis Richardson is already guaranteed a bronze in the 71kg boxing but has his semi-final at Roland Garros at 8.45pm.
The women’s 200m gives Dina Asher-Smith a chance to make up for her disappointing 100m result (final 8.40pm).
Jack Carlin, Ed Lowe and Hamish Turnbull team up in the track cycling men’s team sprint today with the final at 7.10pm, hoping to wrestle back the gold they won in Beijing, London and Rio.
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
Emma Hayes’ USA women’s football team face Germany in the semi-final in Lyon (5pm).
Kellie Harrington will go for back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the ring with the Irish star’s 60kg final vs China’s Yang Wenlu at 10pm – two bouts after Imane Khelif’s 66kg semi-final.
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
It wouldn’t be the Olympics without some wrestling would it?
There is both freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines throughout the day at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
STATS MAD
A Hoy Where? For the first time since Atlanta 1996, the Team GB cycling track team will neither feature a certain Sir Chris Hoy nor Sir Jason Kenny. Just the 16 Olympic medals between those two legends, 13 of them gold.
