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Belgian to leave Olympics after drunken night
OLY_CYC Headlines
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- Belgian to leave Olympics after drunken night
Updated August 9, 2012
BRUSSELS (AP) The Belgian Olympic Committee says it has told cyclist Gijs van Hoecke to leave the Olympics after photos appeared of him looking drunk and unable to walk while leaving a London nightclub.
The committee said in a statement Thursday it made its decision after consulting with the team leader of the Belgian cycling squad.
Several British and Belgian newspapers published photos showing the 20-year-old Van Hoecke, his eyes closed and his trousers and shirt wet, being helped into a vehicle by teammates.
Van Hoecke told Belgium's VRT radio and television network that he regretted what happened, but he was just "letting off some steam" after two years of hard work.
Still, he said "it would have been better if I had not done that here ... in London."
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