“Unacceptable behaviour”: Aussie Olympians blasted for rowdy flight home
A written complaint from Japan Air Lines to the Australian Olympic Committee has placed the Olyroos and rugby Seven’s mens Olympic teams under immediate investigation during their flight home.
Both teams were engaging in rowdy and unsafe behaviour during the 10-hour flight from Tokyo to Sydney, with passengers telling News Corp they were “loud, singing, refusing to sit down when requested, rowdy and obnoxious”.
“Obviously they weren’t wearing their masks as they were drinking all the time,” said one passenger from the flight which touched down on Friday morning.
About five hours into the flight, some players were drunk and more than one began vomiting.
The athletes refused to listen to instructions from airline staff to sit down and stop taking alcohol from the galley at the rear of the plane, to the frustration of the staff on board.
The soccer players were sitting at the rear of the plane while the rugby players were seated near the front, with the antics starting when some of the rugby players came to the back.
“Players hadn’t seen each other during the Olympics and so this was the first time they had a chance to catch up,” one source said.
Another passenger and member of the Australian Olympic Team said he was “mortified” by the players’ behaviour.
The rugby team was also read the riot act by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) in a separate incident, where players left their team meeting room in poor condition after a night of partying prior to their departure from Japan.
In a statement, Rugby Australia said they have been made aware of the incident during the flight.
“Rugby Australia has begun its own internal investigation into the matter based on the information provided by the AOC,” the statement said.
A spokesperson from Football Australia said it was aware of the behaviour and will also investigate the incident.
“Football Australia is discussing the matter with the AOC and is taking responsibility to investigate the involvement of any footballer.”
AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll said the behaviour was “extremely disappointing”.
“But both Rugby and Football have told me that such behaviour is certainly not acceptable within their sports and have sincerely apologised to the Australian Olympic Team. The CEOs have undertaken to take the appropriate action and report back to us,” he said.
The athletes remain under the control of the AOC until they exit two weeks of quarantine.