An Olympic athlete has been arrested on suspicion of buying cocaine in Paris, his nation’s Olympic committee has confirmed.
On Wednesday, French media outlet Europe 1 reported that an Australian hockey player had allegedly been caught trying to purchase cocaine in the French capital.
It was reported that the athlete had been taken into custody by police.
Now, the Australian Olympic Committee has confirmed the reports and revealed the player in question was men’s team player Tom Craig, 28, skynews.com.au reports.
A statement read: “The Australian Olympic Committee has confirmed an Australian hockey team member is in custody after being arrested in Paris on August 6th.
“No charges have been laid. The AOC is continuing to make enquiries and arrange support for the team member.”
According to Europe 1 reporter Jean-Baptiste Marty, who broke the original story, French police arrested Craig in Paris’ 9th arrondissement.
He wrote in a post on X that the seller had also been arrested.
Craig had allegedly been caught trying to buy the drugs 15 minutes after attending a team function with fellow Australian hockey players on Tuesday night.
The penalty for drug possession in France could be as little as €150 (£129). This is after the country introduced new laws in 2020 giving police the power to issue fines of just €200 to people caught in possession of small quantities of drugs.
If the fine is paid with 15 days, it is reduced to €150.
The Australian men’s hockey side were knocked out in the quarter finals of the Olympic tournament.
