GLAMOROUS OLYMPIC SWIMMER LUANA ALONSO MADE OTHER ATHLETES FEEL 'UNCOMFORTABLE' INSISTS PARAGUAY'S OLYMPIC COMMITTEE... THOUGH THEY CLAIM THERE WAS 'NO BIG DRAMA' OVER HOW SHE LEFT THE VILLAGE

Reports claimed Luana Alonso was removed from the athletes village in Paris
Paraguay's Olympic Committee insist there was 'no big drama' over her exit
However, they did claim that she made other athletes feel 'uncomfortable'

Paraguay's Olympic Committee have reportedly insisted that there was 'no big drama' surrounding Luana Alonso's departure from the athletes village.

Reports had suggested the glamorous swimmer had been removed from the athletes village in Paris, as Paraguay blamed her for creating an ‘inappropriate atmosphere’ with her behaviour.

The 20-year-old insisted that she is the victim of 'lies' and 'false information' following the reports.

Speaking to Le Parisien, the Paraguay Olympic Committee said the swimmer left of her own free will, but insisted that the youngster made other athletes and the country's delegation feel uncomfortable.

A representative of the committee told the French outlet: 'She withdrew from swimming and therefore left. She was never excluded.

'As she stopped, she began to behave in an individualistic way and not as a member of the team.

'That's what made the other athletes and the delegation uncomfortable. That's all. There is no big drama.'

The comments come after a statement from Larissa Schaerer, the head of mission for the Paraguay team, said: 'Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay.'

Paraguay's Committee though said that Schaerer had only asked Alonso to confirm her departure in an email and not make a decision to remove her from the athletes village.

Alonso represented the South American nation during the Olympics in the French capital, finishing sixth in the first round of the 100m butterfly, narrowly missing out on reaching the semi-finals.

After her exit, she had been seen walking round in her own choice of outfits rather than the official uniforms provided by Paraguayan team chiefs.

She had also been spotted hanging out with other athletes - including taking a selfie with tennis star Rafael Nadal - and was said to be distracting her teammates who were still competing in the Games.

Alonso even checked into a hotel in the French capital and visited luxury stores and restaurants, posting photos to her 600,000 followers on social media.

But in a statement on Instagram on Monday, Alonso 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,' Alonso added alongside a photo of her enjoying a drink as the sun set.

In an Instagram story on Sunday night, she revealed that she was back in the United States, as she posted a video of her in a car with the American flag flying outside.

The Paraguayan lives in the States, where she attends the Southern Methodist University near Dallas, Texas, and also swims for the Dallas Mustangs.

A report in Paraguay claimed that the swimmer previously stated that she would prefer to represent the United States.

It's said that her claims arose after qualifying for the Olympics through the universality system - which is designed to increase the diversity of participating nations in the Games.

Alonso said as per Hoy: 'I want to represent the United States more', before adding 'they threaten me that they are going to publish a statement, that I am going to leave because of universality.

'If I support my sport it is thanks to my sponsors, they want to humiliate me and say 'it is not a big deal that you are leaving because of universality'.'

She added that she preferred to return to college in Texas because of the tension she experienced about qualifying for the World Aquatics Championships.

Alonso said: 'Instead of supporting and saying 'damn, we trust the athletes', not like 'you're going for the World Cup, we don't care', that's why it's not a pleasure to represent Paraguay and if it were up to me, I would go back to college.'

In a report from AS Sport, Camilo Perez, president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, responded to the alleged claims from Alonso by saying: 'I read that she wants to compete for the United States.

'There is no universality there. She came here as a Paraguayan. She has to train a lot more to represent USA, her times have to be much better.'

Alonso meanwhile confirmed her retirement from swimming, after she was knocked out in the first round of the 100m butterfly.

2024-08-06T15:08:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd