Rio 2016: Dutch athlete kicked out for drinking
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Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder has been sent home from the Olympics for drinking on Saturday night. /Twitter
By Choi Ha-young
The Netherlands’ “Lord of the Rings,” Yuri van Gelder, has been sent home from the Olympics for drinking on Saturday night after earning a spot in the still rings final.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Dutch team chef de mission Mauris Hendriks said. “It’s terrible for Yuri but this kind of behavior is unacceptable.”
Gelder, 33, admitted drinking alcohol, which is a violation of the Dutch team’s rules. He left Rio Monday.
The Dutch Olympic Committee was strict in expelling the former world and triple European champion. The committee said it “had no other choice but to put him on the flight home, although it’s a big loss for the team.”
The athlete hired a lawyer to fight the authority’s decision.
The gymnast was embroiled in a drug-abuse scandal in 2009 after testing positive to cocaine. He could not join the Dutch national team at the 2012 London Games because of the scandal.