Tokyo Olympics: AOC reprimands five Australian hockey players for breaching Covid protocols

Five players that snuck out to buy beer - in a major breach of Covid rules - are said to be deeply remorseful. So what sanctions do they face?

The Australian men’s hockey team. Picture: AFP Images

Five Australian hockey players snuck out to buy beer in the early hours after winning the Olympic silver medal in a major breach of covid countermeasures at the Tokyo Olympic athletes village.

The Kookaburra players twice went to a local convenience store to buy slabs of beer. A trio of players bought several cartons at 3am and then another two players left for the store at 6am, contravening the Japanese rules to stay inside the athletes village.

Players, whom officials refuse to identify, are ‘’deeply remorseful” but will face no further punishment, AOC chef de mission Ian Chesterman said.

The players will go home as planned with the rest of the hockey team on Saturday on a Singapore Air flight.

The breach meant the players have had to undergo further covid tests and remain in their rooms until the flight.

Kookaburras coach Colin Batch said his players regretted their actions.

“The players were really remorseful for their actions. They have embarrassed the Kookaburras, the Australian Olympic team and it’s completely out of character for these players,” Batch said.

“They did immediately apologise for their lack of thought and the impact it has had on the Australian team and Ian and the executive of the AOC.”

Australian medical doctor David Hughes said the covid risk was low. Athletes are allowed to drink in their rooms, but they can only buy in within the athletes village.

But Australian olympic officials have been left deeply embarrassed at the athletes breaking the rules set down by the Japanese government.

Australian Olympic officials faced a series of questions as to why they announced the news after the evening news bulletins, but Chesterman denied protecting the players.

However, the Australian Olympic Committee previously withheld details for four days of the Olyroos and rugby sevens’ player behaviour which prompted a complaint by Japan Airlines on a flight to Sydney last week. The players vomited on the aircraft, rendering one toilet unusable for the flight and were excessively drunk.

The AOC was also initially less than forthcoming about the details of a rower who smashed a hole in the wall of his room in the village. They also then reported several rooms having been left in a disgraceful mess by rowers and rugby sevens players.

But Chesterman said he has presented the latest breach in a timely fashion and said it was “not our goal to be anything other than transparent with you’’.

Chesterman said:” the Australian team have been through a massive campaign together and we will stick together, the players have apologised and are very remorseful.’’

Tokyo 2020 organisers have previously stripped the accreditation of athletes found to be outside the village, including two Georgian athletes who were sent back home on the next flight after going for a tourist trip.

Chesterman said: “We have worked very hard to get the team here safe and to keep them safe and we will continue to strictly enforce the protocols to compete successfully and get home safely’’.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics: AOC reprimands five Australian hockey players for breaching Covid protocols