Earlier this month, four US swimmers were banned from the closing ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris for making disparaging comments about other athletes on social media.
Jessica Long, Gia Pergolini, Julia Gaffney and Anastasia Pagonis were disciplined for violating U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee rules by appearing to question their teammates' disabilities. According to the Washington Post.
The punishment could also result in suspension and loss of scholarships, according to the outlet.
“We can confirm that sanctions have been imposed on several athletes for unacceptable behavior,” a USOPC spokesperson said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It is important to us to uphold the standards expected of Team U.S. athletes, and we remain committed to addressing any behavior that undermines our values.”
The suspension stems from comments made about American swimmer Christy Reilly-Crossley, who has S9, a neurological disorder.
Long, who has publicly spoken out about cheating in Paralympic swimming in the past, targeted his teammates. In the comments section of the Instagram post On August 29th, Rory Crossley celebrated setting a new world record in the 50m freestyle.
Spanish swimmer Saray Gascón Moreno commented: “S9? Are you kidding me?”, to which Long replied: “I'm on your side.”
In another post, Gaffney criticised Reilly Crossley, writing, “Not a good influence. Intentional misrepresentation is never a good thing.”
“This,” Pagonis said with a raised hands emoji, while Pergolini wrote “Well said” in the same post with another raised hands emoji.
Larry Crossley spoke about doubts he had about his disability while in Paris for the Olympics.
“I was celebrating my world record so I'm devastated that the whole world seems to think I'm a cheat and that I'm faking a hole in my brain and a cyst in my spinal cord,” said Reilly Crossley. “It's pretty devastating to have bullies online telling me that just because I can swim faster than them doesn't mean I'm as disabled as I look.”
Long doubled down on comments he made earlier this month, accusing the Paralympic Committee of being too lax on its rules.
“I've been watching the Paralympic movement for a long time. I think we're being willfully misled. [rules] “I think we're not using it for a reason, and I think we really should be using it, right?,” Long said. “I want the Paralympics to be played with integrity. I want to see better.”
“And I will always continue to advocate for that.”
