KEY POINTS:
BEIJING - Olympic swimmers Dean Kent, Corney Swanepoel and Cameron Gibson were expelled from the New Zealand team following an unsavoury incident which embarrassed a teammate.
The three experienced Olympians took a photograph of the drunk teammate sitting on the toilet in a prank at a social function late last week before circulating it to other teammates.
Their actions were deemed inappropriate by New Zealand team chef de mission Dave Currie, who suspended Kent, Swanepoel and Gibson from the team yesterday and expelled them from the Olympic Village.
They spent their final night in Beijing at a neighbouring hotel and weren't invited to a final team function.
However, they were to join the team on their flight out of China today. The team are due to land in Auckland tomorrow morning.
An NZOC spokesman said no further comment would be made after releasing a short press statement overnight.
The identity of the photographed team member will not be made public. He is described in the release as "one of our younger team members" and had apologised for his behaviour at the function.
"A couple of his teammates, in a fit of high spirits, took a photo of him sitting on a toilet and, in what they saw as a prank, circulated this photo to other team members." the statement read.
"This was inappropriate and foolhardy behaviour at the end of a long campaign, for which the team members concerned have been suspended from the team.
"All three swimmers are very remorseful and have apologised to team management for what was poor judgement on their part and accept the punishment handed down."
The spokesman said the NZOC and Swimming New Zealand will discuss which organisation, if any, will seek to impose further penalties against the trio.
New Zealand were rocked in the closing stages of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games by an alcohol-fuelled incident involving cyclists Tim Gudsell, Marc Ryan and Liz Williams.
Gudsell and Ryan were later found to have breached their Cycling New Zealand athlete's agreement and ordered to seek professional help to avoid a repeat.
New Zealand swimming head coach Jan Cameron was disappointed members of her team had stepped out of line but didn't want to be overly critical until the incident was reviewed in New Zealand.
"It's very unfortunate," Cameron told NZPA.
"It's something that both Swimming New Zealand and the NZOC will have to address, it's not something that can be ignored."
Cameron said it didn't matter that the incident appeared to be relatively minor. The three swimmers involved should have known better, she said.
"Any time protocol isn't followed, it has to be addressed. They know that and we'll look at it in greater depth when we get home."
Swimming competition finished on August 17, with the last New Zealand event the 4x100m medley relay team featuring Swanepoel and Gibson, who finished fifth in the final with a national record performance.
Both are at their second Olympics after competing at Athens four years ago.
England-based Gibson, 26, was a bronze medallist at Melbourne while South African-born Swanepoel, 22, performed strongly in Beijing, setting a national record in making his 100m butterfly semifinal.
Kent, at 29, was the veteran of the 15-strong Games swimming team, attending his third Olympics.
He didn't advance beyond the heats of the 200m individual medley and announced his retirement soon afterwards.
Currie told NZPA before the Games started that there was no need to remind athletes about the need for good behaviour post-competition.
"We only have one rule in the Olympic team, that we respect one another," he said.
"It's a high performance environment. If you've got the respect of athletes while you're performing, when you've finished you've then got the respect of others."
- NZPA
