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Sydney, Aug 23 (IANS) Six Australian swimmers of the Olympic men’s relay team have escaped any further punishment from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) for their inappropriate behaviour ahead of the London Olympics.
Eamon Sullivan, Matt Targett, James Magnussen, James Roberts, Tommaso D’Orsogna and Cameron McEvoy were reportedly taking the sleeping drug Stilnox and “pranking” their female colleagues in a bonding ritual before the 2012 Olympics.
In a press conference Friday, AOC chief John Coates said the penalties imposed by Swimming Australia on the six swimmers were sufficient and there would be no further punishment for them.
“The AOC considers that the financial sanction imposed by Swimming Australia is proportionate and sufficient in respect of each of those swimmers,” Coates was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
“We find the relay team swimmers were in breach of their team membership agreement.”
The AOC boss said the swimmers would be banned from the 2016 Olympics if there was any further conduct that would bring them or their sport into disrepute.
“What we have done is given them a yellow card and they’re on a very serious three-year good behaviour bond,” he said.
