In case you hadn’t noticed, rules in the Olympic Village during the 2024 Paris Olympics are...strict to say the least. And one of the biggest ones is that you cannot under any circumstance leave the Olympic Village without permission, which Brazilian swimmer Ana Vieira found out the hard way (we’ll get to that in a minute).
Former Olympian Ryan Lochte went ahead and explained the rule on TikTok, implying that certain countries are more strict than others. And the USA is definitely on the stricter side...👀
During a Q&A run by his wife, Kayla Lochte, a fan asked, “What do you mean you are not allowed to leave the Olympic Village? I see all kinds of Olympic athletes leaving the village.” In response, Ryan said, “Not USA swimmers,” before adding, “because that’s the rule for USA swimmers.”
Afterward, Kayla mused, “USA has stricter rules than other countries, right? But you can leave for certain things?” It was then that Ryan walked into the frame to wag his finger and say, “Nope. You have to get an okay through the head coach”...
...which brings us back to Ana Vieira, who was sent home from the Olympics early after sneaking out of the village with her boyfriend and teammate Gabriel Santos.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee responded by issuing a statement in a press release saying, “BOC received a statement this Saturday, the 27th, from the Head of the Brazilian Swimming Team, Gustavo Otsuka, informing that swimmers Ana Carolina Vieira and Gabriel Santos committed acts of indiscipline. With this, in agreement with the members of the Technical Committee of the sport, with the Head of the Team, and with the Brazilian Confederation of Aquatic Sports (CBDA), the BOC decided to punish the two athletes for having left the Olympic Village without authorization during the night of last Friday.”
The BOC then added that Ana also contested a “technical decision” made by the Brazilian Swimming Team committee in a “disrespectful and aggressive manner,” which was why she was sent home and Gabriel Santos was “punished with a warning.”
