Yuri van Gelder sent home by Dutch team for drinking during Rio Olympics
Last Updated: 09/08/16 9:04pm
Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder, dubbed the 'Lord of the Rings', returned home in disgrace on Tuesday after being kicked off his country's Olympics team for a night out drinking in Rio.
The 2005 world men's rings champion had sealed a place in Rio in the men's rings finals, after coming seventh in Saturday's qualifiers.
But flouting strict rules imposed on the Dutch team he then went out to celebrate in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, failing to return until the early hours of Sunday.
"This has been a very difficult decision for us," Dutch team ambassador Maurits Hendriks said in a statement on Tuesday.
"I think this is really terrible for Yuri, but such behaviour is unacceptable. It does not belong in the Olympics or any kind of sporting competition."
The Dutch Olympics team said Van Gelder, 33, who had finally realised his dream to compete in his first Olympics, had admitted "consuming alcohol" outside the Olympic village and had been "withdrawn from the competition".
Hendriks added the team leadership "had been left with no choice" but to bar Van Gelder from continuing in the Games.
It is not the first time that Van Gelder has landed himself in hot water.
In 2009, he tested positive for cocaine use during the Dutch championships and was suspended for a year. He was treated for addiction in France.
The gymnast's manager Orlando van den Bosch told the Dutch news agency ANP that Van Gelder had been "dealt a heavy blow" as he had high hopes of winning a medal.
His place in next Monday's rings final will go to France's Danny Pinheiro Rodrigues, the second replacement athlete added to the final. After France's Samir Ait Said broke his leg in qualifications, Ukraine's Igor Radivilov took his place.
"I Never Lost Faith, Always Kept Fighting And Never Ever Gave Up ! So Proud To Be Here #teamnl #rio2016," Van Gelder had tweeted on his arrival in Rio.
