Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso has vehemently denied allegations that she was expelled from the athletes’ village at the Paris Olympics for engaging in inappropriate activities, including a visit to Disneyland.
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Alonso, who resides in the United States but represents Paraguay, recently concluded her Olympic participation after not advancing past the 100m butterfly heats.
Unlike the Tokyo Games, where athletes were required to depart promptly after their final events, participants in Paris have been allowed to remain in the athletes’ village until the conclusion of the Games.
Despite this leniency, reports emerged that Alonso became the second athlete to be sent home prematurely. Allegations suggested she had spent a night out in Paris and visited Disneyland instead of staying to support her fellow Paraguayan teammates.
Accusations against Alonso also included claims of her distracting other competitors by socializing excessively with athletes from other teams and wearing revealing clothing instead of the official uniforms provided by the Paraguayan team.
The trip to Disneyland was reportedly the final infraction that led to her expulsion. Larissa Schaerer, the head of Paraguay’s Olympic Committee, confirmed Alonso’s departure, stating, “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.”
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In response to the controversy, the 20-year-old swimmer took to Instagram to refute the claims, asserting that she was not expelled and condemning the spread of false information. “I just wanted to clarify that I was never kicked out or expelled from anywhere, please stop spreading false information,” Alonso said in her statement. “I don’t want to make any statement but I’m not going to let lies affect me either.”
Last week, Alonso announced her retirement from swimming after narrowly missing the semi-finals by just 0.24 seconds.
“I’m retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for the support!” she wrote on Instagram. “Sorry Paraguay, I only have to thank you! I am very emotional because it was my last race. I am retiring from swimming. I have been swimming for so long, 18 years, and I have so many feelings.”
Before returning to the United States, where she is pursuing a degree in political science, Alonso shared images from her stay in France.
Her posts included pictures at the upscale Hotel Pastel, various shops, museums, and iconic locations like the Eiffel Tower. Additionally, she took advantage of her time at the Games to mingle with tennis stars Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz.
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