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Luana Alonso says she was not 'expelled' from the Olympic Village: 'I was never removed'

"I'm not letting lies affect me," she wrote.


Daniel Neira
Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
AUGUST 6, 2024 3:02 PM EDT

Luana Alonso is speaking up after reports about her exit from the Olympic Village. The Paraguayan swimmer was said to have been expelled from the 2024 Paris Olympics, after claims of "inappropriate environment," however," Luana is stating that the claims are false. 

The 20-year-old athlete took to social media to share her side of the story after multiple publications reported that she made an unauthorized trip to Disneyland, which cut short her stay at the Olympics. 

Luana wrote a short message on Instagram Stories revealing that the reports are untrue. “I just wanted to make it clear that I was never removed or expelled from anywhere,” she wrote, adding that she did not want to make a full statement but she wanted to stop the rumors. 

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"I'm not letting lies affect me," she wrote. Luana, who is now back in Dallas, Texas, where she studies political science, competed in the women's 100m butterfly heats, and finished sixth, failing to continue.

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Rumors about her early departure:

While Luana is now at home, previous reports indicated that she had planned to stay in Paris until the end of the competitions, but team officials considered that she had to depart early after "inappropriate actions." Local media detailed that she spent a night at Disneyland instead of staying to support her teammates. 

A statement also circulated online, from Paraguayan Olympic Committee boss Larissa Schaerer. "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," the statement read. 

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