Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso has refuted claims that she was expelled from the Olympic Village during the 2024 Paris Games for creating an "inappropriate atmosphere." Alonso, who competed in the women's 100m butterfly but did not advance past the heats, stated that she left the village voluntarily and was not removed due to misconduct.
In a fiery Instagram Stories post on Wednesday, Alonso slammed the claims of her expulsion from the Olympic Village as "lies" and "false rumours", accusing the Paraguayan Olympic Committee of damaging her reputation at a time when she needed their support most.
"Let me make this clear: I left the Olympic Village on my own," Alonso wrote on her Instagram Stories.
According to the New York Post, the two-time Olympian reportedly became problematic after she failed to make it out of the heat races and took a day trip to Disneyland Paris instead of supporting her compatriots, angering the country's Olympic officials.
She documented her trip to the theme park on social media, posing for a picture wearing Mickey Mouse ears and holding a champagne flute.
"Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay," Larissa Schaerer, the head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, said in a statement published by The Sun at the time.
Who is Luana Alonso?1. Born on September 19, 2004, Luana Alonso, a competitive swimmer from Paraguay, specialises in butterfly stroke events. She is the national record holder for Paraguay in the 100m butterfly event.
2. Alonso is currently a student at the Southern Methodist University in the US Dallas. Before her time with the university's women's swimming and diving team, she was a part of Virginia Tech for one semester, US Weekly magazine reported.
3. She came into the limelight after she first represented her country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the age of 17. Back then, she finished in the 28th place and failed to advance to the semifinals.
4. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she made her second appearance but was eliminated in the heats after finishing sixth place. Prior to this, she also participated in the Youth Olympic Games, South American Games and the World Championships.
5. Ahead of the Olympics, Ms Alonso is said to have expressed a desire to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympics. In a live stream on Instagram before the summer Olympics, she allegedly said she preferred the US over Paraguay.
