A reconstruction and interviews with stakeholders show that Van Gelder conduct already patched his boots: the incidents of last Saturday were the drop.
Yuri van Gelder had drunk in the night from Saturday to Sunday was already decided. And that he was late back to the Olympic Village as well. But otherwise there was hardly anything is known about why the NOC * NSF Van Gelder sent home.
Until now.
Discussions with stakeholders in and around the Dutch Olympic team show that it certainly not the first time that Van Gelder violated the code of conduct. At previous events, he went several times to the agreements on stage and he came back too late, and in Rio he left earlier without permission the Olympic village - he was hours away.
Last Saturday, Van Gelder decided to go after his qualification for the final ring at the Holland Heineken House. He spent his trainer, Bram van Bokhoven, aware of the taxi to it.Van Bokhoven warned his pupil to use his head and asked him to be back before midnight.
Since Van Gelder did not keep. He drank and smoked at the Holland House and then resurfaced with a group of Brazilian friends and his Brazilian girlfriend in the nightlife of Rio.What was he doing there exactly is not clear, according to his friends he was about two and a half hour search. What he does not clearly has done in that period. Should he have fallen prey to his old addiction, it was a potential time bomb: cocaine is illegal in Brazil.
At six o'clock in the morning Van Gelder returned, drunk, back in the Olympic village. He got his bed, and only came at three o'clock in the afternoon again. On training that morning he was missing.
His trainer, who guides him for years, was ready with it - like the Gymnastics Federation.They found that Van Gelder repeatedly was unable to honor agreements and to act like a professional athlete. Moreover, he would have a negative impact on the rest of the team and it would be of little respectful witnesses to go out while in the Netherlands gymnasts at home who had to lose weight to make room in the squad for Van Gelder.
The Gymnastics Federation took the initiative to ask chef de mission Maurits Hendriks to send home Van Gelder. There followed a discussion with all stakeholders, where Van Gelder admitted his mistakes. Hendriks saw no other option than Van Gelder send away. Van Gelder took a heavy penalty, but he would not have protested.
NOC * NSF arranged hastily flights for him and his girlfriend (,, because we did not just send him home "). He left Rio on Monday, a week before he had to ring the gymnastics finals.
Yuri van Gelder himself had previously do not want to comment at this time.
By Editorial AD Photo: Reuters
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