Brazilian Swimmer Sent Home from Paris 2024 After Leaving Olympic Village Without Permission

"We're not here playing or taking a vacation," head of the country's swimming team, Gustavo Otsuka, said as Ana Carolina Vieira headed home

Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira has been sent home from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Vieira, 22, and her teammate Gabriel Santos were reprimanded after leaving the Olympic Village "without authorization" on Friday, July 26, per a news release shared by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) on Sunday, July 28.

"COB 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," the release read.

"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 COB decided to punish the two athletes for having left the Olympic Village without authorization during the night of last Friday," the release added.

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In addition to leaving the village, COB also confirmed Vieira had "contested" a "technical decision made by the Brazilian Swimming Team committee" in a "disrespectful and aggressive manner," the release continued.

"Therefore, athlete Gabriel Santos was punished with a warning and athlete Ana Carolina Vieira, with the penalty of dismissal from the delegation. She will return to Brazil immediately," the release concluded.

"Athlete Ana Carolina Vieira committed two distinct acts of indiscipline: one was leaving the Olympic Village without the consent of the Technical Committee; and another aggressively and disrespectfully challenged the Technical Committee's lineup for the qualifiers for the women's 4x100m relay," a BOC spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE.

Per Reuters, the outing was discovered after the pair posted about it on social media. According to The Guardian, Santos, 28, is Vieira's boyfriend.

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Vieira competed in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay team that finished 12th in the heats on Saturday.

Head of the Brazilian Swimming Team Otsuka said, per Reuters, "We're not here playing or taking a vacation ... We're here working for Brazil, for the 200 million taxpayers who are working for us."

"We can't play around here. She took a completely inappropriate position to make her point, her dismay, about the formation of the relay," Otsuka continued.

"It was during this period that we decided to take this situation to the disciplinary committee, discussed it and took the appropriate action. We ended up finding out through the posts," he concluded.

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In an Instagram Stories video translated by The Guardian, Vieira claimed she "couldn't contact anyone" after being told she was out "for bad behavior,"as she also denied the claims.

"I didn't know what to do, my things are there," the athlete continued, per the video.

"I know who I am, I know my character, my nature, and that's what matters," the swimmer added, according to the publication.

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