The Olympic party times will roll on for a few more athletes who have their events done at the games and you can expect phenomenal shenanigans to ensue. We already looked at the antics of Australian rower Joshua Booth who was sent home early from the games for an alcohol fueled rampage and here we are again.
Well, Booth may have been outdone.
Belgian cyclist Gijs Van Hoecke has been sent back to Belgium following a night which he probably doesn’t remember. After the completion of his cycling events in which he finished 15th in the omnium, while Belgium was ninth in the team sprint, Van Hoecke took to London for some serious fun.
Van Hoecke was removed from the Games by the Belgian Olympic Committee after images of him appearing drunk were published by The Daily Mail.
The photos show the 20-year-old being carried into a taxi outside a London nightclub. Van Hoeck has his eyes closed and his clothes are soaked.
The Belgian Olympic Committee called the incident “deplorable.”
Van Hoecke expressed regret for the actions and where he chose to celebrate his experience at the Olympics.
“What happened is a pity. I am sorry, this should not have happened,” Van Hoecke told RTBF television. “But I also think that after two years of relentless work, I have the right to let my hair down. It would have been better if it had not happened here in London.
“I chose the wrong moment. Having said that, it was outside the Olympic Village, I wasn’t disturbing other athletes, they didn’t say anything about it.”
While I’m sure the Belgian Olympic mission would love positive press above all else, I have trouble defending their choice to send an athlete home two days before the closing ceremony because he got busted in an inebriated state by a tabloid.
According to reports he didn’t do anything to harm anyone (but himself) and, as he himself points out, the Olympics have been the culmination of four years of incredibly hard work. He should have the right to have a good time. If he happens to look like an idiot in the process, so be it. Plenty of other athletes have been busted partying hard without repercussions, why should he be an example?
You can find the pictures in question here. They are equal parts hilarious and damning. Know your limit, stay within it.
