Australian swimmer Emma McKeon will take part in the Olympics closing ceremony after a ban was overturned.
McKeon was punished by the Australian Olympic Committee for failing to tell her team leader of her whereabouts when she did not return to the athletes’ village after a night out in Copacabana.
The 22-year-old was abiding by rules that forbid athletes from travelling to the village alone, but did not tell her manager that she was spending the night with Swedish swimming friends.
To clarify, I've followed AOC safety protocol in not travelling to village alone. My error was not texting my team manager. #noclosingforme
— Emma McKeon (@emma_mckeon) August 18, 2016
Josh Palmer, another Australian swimmer, also did not return to the athletes’ village after drinking with a friend on Tuesday night. He told officials he was robbed at gunpoint at an ATM the following morning.
Both were banned from participating in the closing ceremony on Sunday and subjected to a curfew to the village between 8pm and 8am for the rest of the competition.
McKeon, from Wollongong, won a gold, two silvers and a bronze medal in Rio, and had reportedly been a contender to bear the flag for Australia in the closing ceremony.
But on Thursday the AOC overturned McKeon’s ban, with Kitty Chiller, Australia’s chef de mission, stating that McKeon had written a letter to her apologising for breaching protocols.
McKeon would now be permitted to attend the swimming team’s dinner on Thursday night and the closing ceremony.
“She understands how she placed herself in jeopardy and all I was ever trying to do was protect Emma and the 420 other athletes in our team.
“Based on the content and tone of her letter and my conversation with her, I am satisfied that she does now understands what she has done and she is apologetic.”
She had not heard from Palmer.
Chiller rejected suggestion that public pressure had to do with the decision.
“It is not a capitulation towards anything,” she said.
“I am aware of the criticism from people in Australia ... They are not in Rio. Rio is a very different city to Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. It is a dangerous city. Rio is a different city. That night could have ended in tragedy for Emma.”
Many of her supporters had felt the punishment was disproportional to the offence and had rallied against the ban on social media with the hashtag #LetHerDance.
I'm surprised this is not the punishment handed out by @AUSOlympicTeam #letherdance pic.twitter.com/upjwCB7bt0
— Dean Rosario (@DeanRosario) August 19, 2016
Hi @kittychiller my friends want to see a movie on Sunday night but it's at 8.15pm do I need a note from you to say it's ok that I go?
— suburban valium mum (@thiscassgirl) August 19, 2016
Melanie Wright, a former Australian Olympic swimmer, started a Change.org petition calling on the AOC to let McKeon walk in the closing ceremony, arguing that the punishment was too harsh for her “simple mistake”.
“Please help to rectify this kneejerk overreaction.”
It had received more than 17,600 supporters by time the ban was overturned.
Wright tweeted that it was “wonderful news” to hear that McKeon had been reinstated.
Wonderful news to hear @emma_mckeon reinstated. Thankyou AOC & Kitty. I have no doubt it was Emma's character that ultimately convinced them
— Melanie Wright OAM (@mel_wright) August 19, 2016
The Labor MP for Keira in New South Wales, Ryan Park, had told the ABC Illawarra McKeon’s ban was disgraceful.
“Rules are rules and common sense needs to prevail too.
“This is a woman in an environment that is not familiar, in an environment that we all know has had some security issues.
“She wasn’t intoxicated, she wasn’t using illicit substances, she simply by her own accord forgot to text her team manager to tell her where she was.
“She could have been spoken to without banning her from this Olympic ceremony.”
McKeon’s father, Ron, told ABC Illawarra that his daughter had been disappointed by the ban and felt the penalty was harsh.
