Tokyo Paralympics: Aussie athletes given green light to toast their success

Aussie Paralympians will be allowed to celebrate with a drink or two before they head home to quarantine and lockdown, but they have been warned to honour their code of conduct.

Dylan Alcott is reportedly planning a drink to celebrated his gold medal in the tennis. Picture: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Australia’s Paralympians have been given the green light to get on the grog before they head home to quarantine and lockdown.

Australian swimmer Col Pearse has already pleaded with Victorian Premier Dan Andrews to let the Paralympic team “get on the beers”.

Dylan Alcott also said he wanted to celebrate his gold medal winning performance in wheelchair tennis with booze.

Dylan Alcott. Picture: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

And the Australian team’s chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said she has no problem with athletes having a drink – as long as they stuck to the rules.

“I‘ve said this to the athletes themselves, anyone who is of age in Japan, and they need to be obviously over the age of 20, they can have a drink. I don’t have a problem with them having a drink,” she said.

“I don‘t think that the Olympic team had a dry village either, they were allowed alcohol in there but the problem with those guys was they went outside the bubble and that’s what we’re not tolerating.

“Like any team, there‘s a code of conduct. You can have a few drinks and be sensible and maintain the code of conduct at all times. As soon as anyone goes above and beyond that and disrespects the Japanese people that’s when we’ll come down hard on them but I’m not going to say that it’s a dry village.”

Australian Paralympic team co-captains Ryley Batt and Danni Di Toro with chef de mission Kate McLoughlin (centre). Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

That’s the good news for any athletes who want to get on the tiles.

The bad news is that they won’t be able to touch a drop of alcohol on the flight home – and not because some Olympians got plastered on the return trips.

“Both our charters are going to be dry flights but that‘s a Qantas thing,” McLoughlin said.

“We‘ve got one charter which is a commercial flight so that’s just a case of reminding them of their responsibility.

“Until you land in Australia, you‘re still representing Australia as part of the Australian Paralympic team and you need to remember the responsibility that comes with that”

Originally published as Tokyo Paralympics: Aussie athletes given green light to toast their success