Three Olympic swimmers suspended from the New Zealand team for a prank played on a drunk teammate could not be found as the rest of the team arrived back in Auckland today.
Dean Kent, Corney Swanepoel and Cameron Gibson spent their final night in Beijing at a neighbouring hotel after being expelled from the Olympic Village and weren't invited to a final team function.
The ban was issued after the three experienced Olympians took a photograph of the drunk teammate sitting on the toilet at a social function late last week before circulating it to other teammates.
Team chef de mission Dave Currie, who suspended the swimmers after deeming their actions inappropriate, said the trio were on the flight home today.
But amid the melee of media and supporters which ensued when the team emerged into the arrivals hall, the three swimmers were not spotted.
Currie confirmed the swimmers were on the flight but did not know if they had entered the arrivals hall.
"They were on the flight with us and part of the team," he said.
"I haven't spoken to them but they know there are consequences to actions."
Currie said the sanctioning the swimmers received at the time was warranted because they'd overstepped the line and were not respectful to a team member.
"It is a silly thing, a bit of tomfoolery which went a step too far," he said.
"It was a great team to be part of, which was why that was a disappointment, because it was a team that respected, supported one another, and overwhelmingly it was."
The matter has now been referred to Swimming New Zealand, which will decide if any further action is warranted.
Swimming coach Jan Cameron said the swimmers involved were "very remorseful".
"It's a dampening on a very successful campaign, but they have however been sanctioned by NZOC and they were suspended from the Olympic team, so protocols were fully followed," she said.
She noted that Kent was retiring after swimming for New Zealand for many years, "so for him it's not such a great ending".
Also on the flight was discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina, an underperformer in Beijing who told reporters she was disappointed a private conversation she had with Currie about wanting to leave early was made public.
Currie, who at the time confirmed Faumuina was told she'd have to pay for her own ticket if she didn't come home with the team, said today it wasn't him that leaked details of the conversation.
"I responded to a media question around the situation, they clearly knew what the situation was. Certainly the conversation wasn't made public by me.
"As it turned out, Beatrice stayed with the team. She was part of the team, came back on the flight and I'm pleased with that."
