Luana Alonso has reportedly been sacked by the president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee after her previous statements were warned.
The glamorous Olympic swimmer made headlines amid reports she had been removed from the athletes’ village at the Paris Olympics for her “inappropriate behaviour”.
Paraguayan leaders reportedly told French media that there was “no major drama” over the way she left the village, adding that she made other athletes and the country’s entourage feel “uncomfortable” because she behaved in an “individualistic” way.
She reportedly angered her bosses long before the Paris Olympics after she reportedly declared that she would rather compete for the United States than the South American country.
In a report from the Spanish Press Agency AS SportParaguayan Olympic Committee president Camilo Perez warned Alonso about her comments.
Luana Alonso reportedly sacked after a warning from the president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee
The glamorous swimmer represented Paraguay in the 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics, although she had previously said she would rather swim for the United States.
Alonso, pictured at the opening ceremony, has been told her ‘times will have to be much better’ to swim for the US – although the 20-year-old announced her retirement after the Games
Perez said: ‘I read that she wants to compete for the United States.
“There is no universality there. She came here (Paris) as a Paraguayan. She has to train a lot more to represent the US, her times have to be a lot better.”
Alonso qualified for the Olympic Games through the universality system, which is designed to increase the diversity of countries participating in the Games.
The 20-year-old did not get past the first round of the 100m butterfly, finishing sixth and narrowly missing out on qualification for the semi-finals.
Alonso swam her heat in a time of 1:03.09. The slowest of the competitors who reached the semi-final was Keanna Macinnes of Team GB with a time of 57.90.
Perez’s comments don’t seem to matter unless Alonso decides to quit the sport.
Alonso confirmed her decision to retire early in a statement on social media last week.
The young man’s comments about his desire to swim for the United States were reported by the Paraguayan publication Today.
Alonso lives in the United States, where she attends Southern Methodist University near Dallas, Texas (Alonso’s return to the US can be seen on her Instagram account on Sunday)
Alonso claimed she was the victim of ‘lies’ and ‘false information’ after reports emerged she had been kicked out of the athletes’ village by Paraguay for her ‘inappropriate behaviour’
Alonso said: “I want to represent the United States more,” before adding: “I want to represent the United States more.”They are threatening me that they are going to publish a statement that I am going to leave because of universality.
“If I support my sport, it’s because of my sponsors. They want to humiliate me and say: ‘It’s not so bad that you leave because of universality.’”
She added that she preferred to return to college in Texas because she was dealing with tensions over qualifying for the world swimming championships.
Alonso said: ‘Instead of saying, ‘Damn, we trust the athletes’, and not, ‘You’re going for the World Cup, we don’t care’, it’s not fun to represent Paraguay. If it were up to me, I would go back to university.’
The Paraguayan lives in the United States, where she studies at Southern Methodist University near Dallas, Texas, and also swims for the Dallas Mustangs.
In an Instagram story on Sunday night, she revealed she was back in the United States, posting a video of herself in a car with an American flag flying in front of it.
After dropping out of the swim, she was seen in Paris wearing the outfits she had chosen herself, rather than the official uniforms provided to her by the Paraguayan team leaders.
The Paraguayan Olympic Committee reportedly told French media there was “no major drama” over the way she left the athletes’ village
Alonso regularly posted photos of her visits during the Games and bumped into Rafael Nadal (right)
She was also spotted with other athletes, including taking a selfie with Rafael Nadal, and was said to have distracted her teammates who were still participating in the Games.
Alonso even checked into a hotel in the French capital and visited luxury shops and restaurants, sharing photos with her 600,000 followers on social media.
Larissa Schaerer, head of mission for the Paraguayan team, said Alonso “created an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay”.
Alonso responded to reports that she had been kicked out of the athletes’ village, saying she was the victim of “lies and false information”.
Speaking to Le Parisien, a representative of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee reportedly said: ‘She retired from swimming and that’s why she left. She was never excluded.
‘When she stopped, she started acting in an individualistic way and not like a member of the team anymore.
“That’s what made the other athletes and the delegation uncomfortable. That’s all. There’s no big drama.”