Yuri van Gelder, a Dutch Olympian gymnast competing on the rings, wanted to celebrate the fact that he qualified for the event finals. So the former European champion went out on the town and got blasted, returning to the Team Camp late at night. That didn’t sit well with the Dutch gymnastics association or the Dutch Olympic Committee, both of whom agreed that Yuri needed to be sent home.
In a joint statement, the gymnastics association and Olympic Committee stated that the gymnastics bad boy had “gravely violated” team rules and that they had “no other ” choice but to send him back home.
Who Is Yuri van Gelder?
Yuri van Gelder has a long history in the world of gymnastics. A World Champion on the rings back in 2005, he was named the Dutch sportsman of the year. Ever since then, things have been more than a little crazy for the athlete. In 2009 he tested positive for cocaine, which effectively cost him a spot on the London 2012 Summer Olympic Team. That same test also cost him his role in the Dutch army.
In order to get clean, Yuri spent eleven weeks in a rehab clinic in Edinborough, Scotland. Sadly, literally four days before the 2010 world championships, homeboy found his way back to the nose candy and was forced to withdraw from the event.
Everyone thought that Yuri had cleaned up his act before the Olympics, but apparently he couldn’t leave the party life behind him. It’s pretty sad, to be honest.
What Happened?
After Yuri qualified for the event finals in the rings competition, he allegedly went out to meet his Brazilian girlfriend to celebrate. He left on Saturday evening and returned to the Olympic Village early on Sunday. Doing so, Yuri violated strict team rules and had to be sent home.
“It took Yuri a long time to get here, but unfortunately he won’t be able to finish it,” said KNGU technical director Hans Gootjes.
