Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira made waves for all the wrong reasons at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Instead of glory in the pool, she found herself in hot water after a romantic escapade with her fellow teammate and boyfriend, Gabriel Santos.
Ana swam with her Brazilian teammates in the 4x100 meters freestyle relay on July 27 and finished 12th in the heats. Meanwhile, her boyfriend’s team finished 10th in the men’s relay.
Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira was caught sneaking out of the athletes' village without permission with her boyfriend and teammate Gabriel Santos
Image credits: Ana Vieira / Instagram
Image credits: Ana Vieira / Instagram
The real drama unfolded after Gabriel and Ana decided to sneak out of the athletes' village without permission.
The star-crossed swimmers took to the city of love for a night out, and they shared pictures of their escapade on social media.
Ana’s posts caught the eye of officials, who weren’t pleased with the breach of protocol. When the couple were confronted with punitive measures for their “acts of indiscipline,” the Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) said Ana behaved in a “disrespectful and aggressive manner.”
Ana finished 12th with her Brazilian teammates in the 4x100 meters freestyle relay, while her boyfriend’s team finished 10th in the men’s relay
"The athlete Ana Carolina, in a disrespectful and aggressive manner, contested a technical decision made by the Brazilian National Swimming Team committee," BOC said, as quoted by Reuters.
"As a result, Gabriel Santos was given a warning and Ana Carolina Vieira was dismissed from the delegation. She will return to Brazil immediately," the statement continued.
Gustavo Otsuka, Brazil's swimming team leader, released a fiery response to the couple’s forbidden frolic.
"We're not here playing or taking a vacation," he said. "We're here working for Brazil, for the 200 million taxpayers who are working for us."
The athletic couple was caught after they posted pictures of their Parisian rendezvous on social media
“We can't play around here. She took a completely inappropriate position to make her point, her dismay, about the formation of the relay,” Gustavo 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.”
Ana shared an update on Sunday, and she claimed she was made to leave without her belongings.
"I left there and left my materials. I didn't know what to do. My things are there [in the Olympic Village]. I went to the airport in shorts," she said in the clip, according to Unilad.
"I will speak to my lawyers. I promise to tell everything," Ana said in an update she shared with her followers online
“I have had no access to anything. I have not been able to speak to anyone. They told me to contact the COB channels. But how am I going to get in touch?” she asked. “I have already filed a complaint of harassment, and nothing has been resolved, harassment within the team.”
She asserted that she was going to speak to her lawyers in order to proceed legally.
“I will speak to my lawyers. I promise to tell everything. I am sad, nervous, but with peace of mind because I know who I am. I know what my character and my nature are,” she went on to say. “I hope to be able to defend Brazilian women's swimming with great pride. I ask for patience and thank you.”