The drunken antics of Australian Olympians who vomited and disrupted passengers on their flight home from Tokyo had shamed the entire team, a top official said Wednesday.

As New Zealand athletes faced allegations of similar loutish behaviour on their returning flight, Australia's Olympic chef de mission labelled the conduct of his team members "completely unacceptable".

"I'm pretty upset about this because a few people are damaging the reputation of a very strong unit, a unit that is representing us over here very proudly," Ian Chesterman said.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-indian-boxer-lovlina-borgohain-settles-for-bronze-after-losing-in-semis-402745" hreflang="en">Tokyo Olympics: Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain settles for bronze after losing in semis</a>

Chesterman confirmed Japan Airlines wrote to the Australian Olympic Committee complaining about the behaviour of athletes on a flight that arrived in Sydney on Friday.

"JAL advised that team members had drunk excessively, failed to respond to requests of cabin crew and caused disruption to other passengers," he said.

"This behaviour is clearly unacceptable and does not meet the standards set by this team."

Chesterman said at least one athlete vomited in a toilet, rendering it unusable for the rest of the 10-hour flight, but could not confirm reports the Olympians raided the plane's alcohol cabinet after being refused further drinks.

He said there were 49 athletes from nine sports on the flight but the troublemakers all came from the men's rugby and football teams.

Chesterman said the sports' governing bodies would determine what punishments were imposed.

"They're taking it very seriously, which is important to us," he said, adding that athletes faced "unquestionable tension and stress" with tight coronavirus restrictions during the Games.

New Zealand's Olympians have also been accused of unruly behaviour on a flight from Tokyo to Christchurch, including drunkenness and breaching Covid-19 restrictions by throwing used facemasks at cabin crew.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-indian-wrestler-deepak-punia-thrashes-chinas-lin-zushen-to-move-into-semis-402739" hreflang="en">Tokyo Olympics: Indian wrestler Deepak Punia thrashes China's Lin Zushen to move into semis</a>

New Zealand based website&nbsp;reported the athletes became so rowdy that one of the pilots came out from the cockpit and told them to settle down.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee defended its athletes.

"We can understand that following year of training and a very successful, and extended, Olympic campaign, some athletes wanted to celebrate with their teammates before entering two weeks of MIQ (quarantine)," NZOC spokeswoman Ashley Abbott said.

"We have not received any complaints from the airline."

Abbott did not respond when asked if the alleged coronavirus rule breaches were being investigated.

The drunken antics of Australian Olympians who vomited and disrupted passengers on their flight home from Tokyo had shamed the entire team, a top official said Wednesday.

The drunken antics of Australian Olympians who vomited and disrupted passengers on their flight home from Tokyo had shamed the entire team, a top official said Wednesday. As New Zealand athletes faced allegations of similar loutish behaviour on their returning flight, Australia's Olympic chef de mission labelled the conduct of his team members "completely unacceptable". "I'm pretty upset about this because a few people are damaging the reputation of a very strong unit, a unit that is representing us over here very proudly," Ian Chesterman said. ALSO READ: Tokyo Olympics: Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain settles for bronze after losing in semis Chesterman confirmed Japan Airlines wrote to the Australian Olympic Committee complaining about the behaviour of athletes on a flight that arrived in Sydney on Friday. "JAL advised that team members had drunk excessively, failed to respond to requests of cabin crew and caused disruption to other passengers," he said. "This behaviour is clearly unacceptable and does not meet the standards set by this team." Chesterman said at least one athlete vomited in a toilet, rendering it unusable for the rest of the 10-hour flight, but could not confirm reports the Olympians raided the plane's alcohol cabinet after being refused further drinks. He said there were 49 athletes from nine sports on the flight but the troublemakers all came from the men's rugby and football teams. Chesterman said the sports' governing bodies would determine what punishments were imposed. "They're taking it very seriously, which is important to us," he said, adding that athletes faced "unquestionable tension and stress" with tight coronavirus restrictions during the Games. New Zealand's Olympians have also been accused of unruly behaviour on a flight from Tokyo to Christchurch, including drunkenness and breaching Covid-19 restrictions by throwing used facemasks at cabin crew. ALSO READ: Tokyo Olympics: Indian wrestler Deepak Punia thrashes China's Lin Zushen to move into semis New Zealand based website reported the athletes became so rowdy that one of the pilots came out from the cockpit and told them to settle down. The New Zealand Olympic Committee defended its athletes. "We can understand that following year of training and a very successful, and extended, Olympic campaign, some athletes wanted to celebrate with their teammates before entering two weeks of MIQ (quarantine)," NZOC spokeswoman Ashley Abbott said. "We have not received any complaints from the airline." Abbott did not respond when asked if the alleged coronavirus rule breaches were being investigated.

Tokyo Olympics: Australian Olympic officials criticise athletes after 'unacceptable' plane party

Two prominent sporting nations have announced that they will not be sending contingents to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the first time a sort of sporting boycott has been summoned since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/canada-athletes-will-not-compete-at-tokyo-2020-games-due-to-risks-of-covid-19-287963">Canada: Athletes will not compete at Tokyo 2020 Games due to risks of COVID-19</a>

The Canadian Olympic Committee has made it clear that it would not be sending its team for both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

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RELEASE: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020: <a href="https://t.co/HyOBA5wwp4">https://t.co/HyOBA5wwp4</a> <a href="https://t.co/x9OWABVxMA">pic.twitter.com/x9OWABVxMA</a>
— Team Canada PR (@TeamCanadaPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamCanadaPR/status/1241900193395740674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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They want the games to be postponed by a year to the summer of 2021.

Canadian officials have made it clear that this is not just about athlete health but public health and that it was not safe for their team and support staff to continue training in the current circumstances.

Canada won a total of 22 medals at the 2016 Olympics and finished 20th on the medal table.

That announcement was followed by a bigger one from the Australia Olympic committee which asked its team to prepare for an Olympics in the summer of 2021.

Australia has made it clear that a team cannot be assembled at the moment due to the lockdowns in place globally due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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AOC CEO Matt Carroll to address the media this afternoon on today’s advice that the AOC cannot assemble a Team for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> 
 
When: 3.30pm Monday 23rd March, 2020 
 
Where: Grassed area in front of Museum of Contemporary Art 
 
Who: Matt Carroll, AOC CEO<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TokyoTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TokyoTogether</a> <a href="https://t.co/eee5vza3aG">pic.twitter.com/eee5vza3aG</a>
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) <a href="https://twitter.com/AUSOlympicTeam/status/1241933521867788288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Australia is one of the most successful nations at the summer Olympics with 497 medals.

Australia's chef-de-mission Ian Chesterman said: "The Games can't be held in July, our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty have been extremely challenging for them."

Chesterman appended that deferring the Games until next year "will allow athletes from around the world to properly prepare with the hope the coronavirus crisis will be under control".

Therefore, the Aussie board have decided to plan for the Summer Olympics next year.&nbsp;

Two prominent sporting nations have announced that they will not be sending contingents to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the first time a sort of sporting boycott has been summoned since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Two prominent sporting nations have announced that they will not be sending contingents to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the first time a sort of sporting boycott has been summoned since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Also read: Canada: Athletes will not compete at Tokyo 2020 Games due to risks of COVID-19 The Canadian Olympic Committee has made it clear that it would not be sending its team for both the Olympics and the Paralympics. RELEASE: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020: https://t.co/HyOBA5wwp4 pic.twitter.com/x9OWABVxMA — Team Canada PR (@TeamCanadaPR) March 23, 2020 × They want the games to be postponed by a year to the summer of 2021. Canadian officials have made it clear that this is not just about athlete health but public health and that it was not safe for their team and support staff to continue training in the current circumstances. Canada won a total of 22 medals at the 2016 Olympics and finished 20th on the medal table. That announcement was followed by a bigger one from the Australia Olympic committee which asked its team to prepare for an Olympics in the summer of 2021. Australia has made it clear that a team cannot be assembled at the moment due to the lockdowns in place globally due to the coronavirus pandemic. AOC CEO Matt Carroll to address the media this afternoon on today’s advice that the AOC cannot assemble a Team for #Tokyo2020 When: 3.30pm Monday 23rd March, 2020 Where: Grassed area in front of Museum of Contemporary Art Who: Matt Carroll, AOC CEO#TokyoTogether pic.twitter.com/eee5vza3aG — AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) March 23, 2020 × Australia is one of the most successful nations at the summer Olympics with 497 medals. Australia's chef-de-mission Ian Chesterman said: "The Games can't be held in July, our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty have been extremely challenging for them." Chesterman appended that deferring the Games until next year "will allow athletes from around the world to properly prepare with the hope the coronavirus crisis will be under control". Therefore, the Aussie board have decided to plan for the Summer Olympics next year.

Australia and Canada pull out from Tokyo Olympics amid global pandemic scare

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/paralympics-malaysia-stripped-of-swim-worlds-after-israeli-ban-193220">Paralympics</a> boss <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/malaysia-stripped-of-world-para-swim-event-over-israel-stance-193562">Andrew Parsons </a>expressed disgust on Tuesday that Russian authorities had let down the country's clean athletes, after the World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia for four years from major events, including the Tokyo Olympic Games.

WADA's executive committee acted on Monday after concluding that Moscow had planted fake evidence and deleted files linked to positive doping tests in laboratory data that could have helped identify drug cheats.

"Of course, we are disgusted with the fact that you have authorities tempering data," Parsons, a Brazilian, told Reuters in Tokyo on Tuesday.

"We were working really closely with the Russian Paralympic Committee for years now; from the point where we went with a blanket ban in the build-up to Rio (2016 Games), to the provisional reinstatement announced this year."

"So, to think that authorities let their athletes down, it is really disgusting. I think that is the right word.”

Whereas Wada is taking the lead this time, during the previous <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-could-face-olympic-ban-in-wada-decision-due-monday-266958">Russia ban</a> in 2016 the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had taken its own decisions on whether to allow Russian athletes to compete.

The ban comes as a huge blow to Russian pride and President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/russian-president-vladimir-putin-turns-67-254334">Vladimir Putin</a> said on Monday that Moscow might appeal the decision, as is their right within 21 days.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-imposes-four-year-ban-on-russia-over-doping-data-manipulation-267195">WADA</a>'s decision does leave the door open for "clean" Russian athletes to compete as individuals in Tokyo without their flag or anthem, as was the case when Russia was banned from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Although Parsons said any such decisions had to wait until after a possible Russian appeal, he appeared to agree that clean athletes shouldn't be punished.

"What we definitely want is for the guilty people to be punished in the hardest possible way," he said.

"This most probably doesn’t mean athletes.”

The decision not to impose a blanket ban was not uniformly welcomed. Travis Tygart, head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said the decision had only "emboldened Russia".

However, Ian Chesterman, the Australian Olympic Committee vice-president who will lead the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympics next year, said that WADA had sent a "powerful message" with the unprecedented ban.

"Every athlete deserves to compete with the confidence they are competing in a clean and fair environment. The fact that this was a systematic attempt to undermine fair sport makes it all the more galling and all the more offensive," he said.

Tokyo 2020 gave a lukewarm response to the news on Monday but the organising committee's president Yoshiro Mori appeared to suggest clean athletes should be allowed to compete, instead of blaming the greed of coaches.

"Unfortunately, I have to say it is more the coaches than the athletes themselves who lack in the awareness," NHK reported Mori as saying whilst at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Coaches were driven by their athletes breaking records and increasing their winnings, he said.

Paralympics boss Andrew Parsons expressed disgust on Tuesday that Russian authorities had let down the country's clean athletes, after the World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia for four years from major events, including the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Paralympics boss Andrew Parsons expressed disgust on Tuesday that Russian authorities had let down the country's clean athletes, after the World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia for four years from major events, including the Tokyo Olympic Games. WADA's executive committee acted on Monday after concluding that Moscow had planted fake evidence and deleted files linked to positive doping tests in laboratory data that could have helped identify drug cheats. "Of course, we are disgusted with the fact that you have authorities tempering data," Parsons, a Brazilian, told Reuters in Tokyo on Tuesday. "We were working really closely with the Russian Paralympic Committee for years now; from the point where we went with a blanket ban in the build-up to Rio (2016 Games), to the provisional reinstatement announced this year." "So, to think that authorities let their athletes down, it is really disgusting. I think that is the right word.” Whereas Wada is taking the lead this time, during the previous Russia ban in 2016 the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had taken its own decisions on whether to allow Russian athletes to compete. The ban comes as a huge blow to Russian pride and President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow might appeal the decision, as is their right within 21 days. WADA's decision does leave the door open for "clean" Russian athletes to compete as individuals in Tokyo without their flag or anthem, as was the case when Russia was banned from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games. Although Parsons said any such decisions had to wait until after a possible Russian appeal, he appeared to agree that clean athletes shouldn't be punished. "What we definitely want is for the guilty people to be punished in the hardest possible way," he said. "This most probably doesn’t mean athletes.” The decision not to impose a blanket ban was not uniformly welcomed. Travis Tygart, head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said the decision had only "emboldened Russia". However, Ian Chesterman, the Australian Olympic Committee vice-president who will lead the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympics next year, said that WADA had sent a "powerful message" with the unprecedented ban. "Every athlete deserves to compete with the confidence they are competing in a clean and fair environment. The fact that this was a systematic attempt to undermine fair sport makes it all the more galling and all the more offensive," he said. Tokyo 2020 gave a lukewarm response to the news on Monday but the organising committee's president Yoshiro Mori appeared to suggest clean athletes should be allowed to compete, instead of blaming the greed of coaches. "Unfortunately, I have to say it is more the coaches than the athletes themselves who lack in the awareness," NHK reported Mori as saying whilst at the UN General Assembly in New York. Coaches were driven by their athletes breaking records and increasing their winnings, he said.

Paralympics chief 'disgusted' with Russia for letting down nation's clean athletes

Swimmer Ian Thorpe, Australia's most decorated Olympian, has called on national bodies to stop setting gold medal targets as it puts too much pressure on athletes.

Speaking at an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) summit on "Athlete Wellbeing" on Tuesday, the five-times Olympic gold-medallist and 11-times world champion said the focus should be on athletes representing the country "well".

"I don't think it's beneficial when sporting organisations are talking about how many gold medals we'll win at a competition and that will be the highest number we've ever won," the 35-year-old told the Beyond the Podium forum in Canberra.

"It puts an immense amount of pressure on athletes around something they have no control over.

"What I'd prefer to see happen is we know the athletes represent our communities, they'll represent the diversity of this country and they're going to represent it well, to the best of our ability, and that will lead to gold medals."

The Australian Olympic Committee has set, but not met, a target of a top-five finish in the medals table at the last three Summer Games and individual sports have also made their own targets.

Thorpe won three gold and two silver medals at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, which made him the most successful athlete of the Games.

Despite his success, he revealed in a 2012 autobiography that he struggled with "crippling" depression throughout his career, self-medicating with alcohol and considering suicide on more than one occasion.

Swimmer Ian Thorpe, Australia's most decorated Olympian, has called on national bodies to stop setting gold medal targets as it puts too much pressure on athletes

Swimmer Ian Thorpe, Australia's most decorated Olympian, has called on national bodies to stop setting gold medal targets as it puts too much pressure on athletes. Speaking at an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) summit on "Athlete Wellbeing" on Tuesday, the five-times Olympic gold-medallist and 11-times world champion said the focus should be on athletes representing the country "well". "I don't think it's beneficial when sporting organisations are talking about how many gold medals we'll win at a competition and that will be the highest number we've ever won," the 35-year-old told the Beyond the Podium forum in Canberra. "It puts an immense amount of pressure on athletes around something they have no control over. "What I'd prefer to see happen is we know the athletes represent our communities, they'll represent the diversity of this country and they're going to represent it well, to the best of our ability, and that will lead to gold medals." The Australian Olympic Committee has set, but not met, a target of a top-five finish in the medals table at the last three Summer Games and individual sports have also made their own targets. Thorpe won three gold and two silver medals at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, which made him the most successful athlete of the Games. Despite his success, he revealed in a 2012 autobiography that he struggled with "crippling" depression throughout his career, self-medicating with alcohol and considering suicide on more than one occasion.

End gold medal targets, says Australian Ian Thorpe