Paris Olympics: Swimmer Luana Alonso's Exit Due to 'Inappropriate Behavior' - The Controversy Explained

The Paris Olympics have been tumultuous for Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso. The 20-year-old athlete, who announced her retirement after failing to advance from her heat in the women’s 100m butterfly on July 27, was asked to leave the Olympic Village due to her behavior, as reported by The Sun on Monday.

Larissa Schaerer, head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, issued a statement explaining the decision: “Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay. We thank her for proceeding as instructed and voluntarily not spending the night in the Athletes’ Village.”

Despite her retirement, Alonso had been residing in the Olympic Village. Paraguayan media reported that she spent time at Disneyland instead of supporting her teammates, causing discontent among the country's Olympic leadership. According to The Daily Mail, Alonso's behavior, including wearing skimpy clothing and socializing with other athletes, became a distraction.

In her final race, Alonso finished sixth in her heat with a time of 1:03.09, a decline from her 1:00.37 performance at the Tokyo Olympics. American swimmers Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh secured the top two positions in the heat.

Following her race, Alonso took to Instagram to announce her retirement: “It’s official! I’m retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for your support! Sorry Paraguay ♥️ I just have to say thank you!” She later shared an emotional message expressing her gratitude to the sport, accompanied by photos from the Paris Olympics. “Swimming: thank you for allowing me to dream, you taught me to fight, to try, perseverance, sacrifice, discipline, and many more things. I gave you part of my life and I wouldn’t change that 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 in my heart, unique opportunities. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon.”