For Team USA swimmers, the 2024 Paris Olympics is a business trip. That means there’s no leaving the Olympic Village without permission — under any circumstances.
Kayla Lochte, wife of four-time Olympian Ryan Lochte, was taking questions from fans on TikTok on Wednesday, August 7, when a viewer asked about swimmers leaving the athletes’ village. Six-time gold medalist Ryan explained exactly how strict the rules are for American swimmers.
“What do you mean you are not allowed to leave the Olympic Village?” the fan asked. “I see all kinds of Olympic athletes leaving the village.”
“Not USA swimmers,” Ryan answered from off-camera.
Every two years, the summer or winter Olympics bring together the best athletes in the world to compete in the same city and live in the same Olympic village. They’re usually 20-somethings in peak physical fitness, forced into close proximity amid a high-stress, high-stakes environment. It’s ripe for extracurricular activities. In fact, People reports that […]
When Kayla asked, “Why?” Ryan replied simply, “Because that’s the rule for USA swimmers.”
“USA has stricter rules than other countries, right? But you can leave for certain things?” Kayla asked.
Ryan cut her off, with a wagging finger entering the frame. “Nope,” he said.
He then explained that if a swimmer wants to leave the village, they must get the OK from their head coach.
The clip comes after Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira was sent home for leaving the village without permission, though a spokesperson told People her dismissal was also because she “aggressively and disrespectfully challenged the Technical Committee’s lineup for the qualifiers for the women’s 4x100m relay.”
Ryan should know the rules as well as anyone. He made headlines during the 2016 Rio Olympics when he and some of his teammates fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint while returning to the Olympic Village. In reality, the swimmers had a confrontation with gas station security guards after they allegedly urinated outside of the bathroom and Lochte vandalized a framed poster.
USA Swimming suspended Ryan for 10 months after the incident, costing him over $1 million in sponsorship money. Ryan apologized for his behavior and the one charge against him was ultimately dropped.
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“One mistake changed my entire life,” he recalled in a 2019 interview with former Yankee Alex Rodriguez. “I went from hero to zero. I’m just trying to fight my way back to the top again.”
Swimmers on Team USA may be under strict rules, but the Olympic Village itself offers plenty of distractions. In Paris alone, People reports that 300,000 condoms have been distributed in the village that’s famous for its hookup culture. That works out to 30 condoms for every athlete.
Team USA swimmer Torri Huske revealed in an exclusively interview with Us Weekly published on Tuesday, August 6, that “there are definitely” athletes on dating apps throughout the athletes’ village.
“We were trying to get our suitemates to download it so that we could see who’s on it,” she added.