Five members of the Australian men’s hockey team have been reprimanded and ordered to self-isolate after leaving the Olympic village in Tokyo to buy beer.
The Kookaburras lost their gold medal match against Belgium in a heartbreaking penalty shootout on Thursday.
Members of the team were commiserating and five unnamed players left the Olympic village to buy more alcohol in the early hours of Friday morning.
There are no rules that prevent athletes from drinking alcohol but leaving the village bubble is a major breach of biosecurity protocols.
The players, who reportedly wore masks and did not interact with members of the public, have been ordered to isolate until there originally scheduled flight home to Australia on Saturday.
They will not face any further sanctions after self-reporting their actions and showing remorse.
“While I understand the players’ disappointment following their loss in the gold medal match we have been abundantly clear about the expectations of this team while we are in Tokyo,” AOC chef de mission Ian Chesterman said.
“The rules are there to keep safe and for us to keep our commitment to the Games organisers and the Japanese people.”
