Rio Olympics 2016: Sent home for partying too hard

Yuri van Gelder, the 2005 world champion on the rings, addressed his error, saying he hugely regretted his "lapse" and called himself "incredibly stupid". Photo / Getty Images

The Netherlands Olympic team has suffered a blow with Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder being sent home from Rio after drinking alcohol on a night out.

Van Gelder spent the night celebrating after qualifying for the finals of the rings event on Saturday, returning in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Dutch team's ambassador has confirmed that the 33-year-old medal contender left the Olympic Village on Saturday night and returned the following morning, violating rules concerning alcohol consumption and leaving the team base.

"It's terrible for Yuri, but this kind of behaviour is unacceptable," said team ambassador Maurits Hendriks in a statement on Tuesday.

"In sports terms this is a disaster, but we had no other choice given the violation of our values."

Van Gelder, the 2005 world champion on the rings, addressed his error, saying he hugely regretted his "lapse" and called himself "incredibly stupid".

It's not the first time that van Gelder has faced disciplinary problems. In 2010, he was dropped from the Dutch team for the Gymnastics World Championships after he admitted using cocaine.

He was also sacked from his job with the Dutch military, which has a zero-tolerance policy to drugs.