THE SEOUL GAMES / DAY 9 : Swimmers Involved in Theft Are Dropped From Team

Double gold medal-winning swimmers Troy Dalbey of San Jose and Doug Gjertsen of Atlanta were dropped from the U.S. team after the theft of a marble lion’s head sculpture from a hotel bar.

The United States Olympic Committee, after a meeting of its executive board Sunday, ordered the pair to return to the United States as soon as permitted by South Korean authorities.

Robert Helmick, president of the USOC, said Dalbey and Gjertsen had expressed regret and offered to resign from the team during a morning meeting with the board in same hotel where their trouble started early Saturday morning.

Helmick said the early departure and suspension from team “was the maximum action we could take, and after listening to their statements and explanations, we arrived at conclusion that it would be the only option we could take.”

Neither Dalbey nor Gjertsen was available for comment, but they issued a statement in which they said they were both “very sorry that we have embarrassed the U.S. Olympic teams, the American people, our friends and relatives by our actions.”

“We want to apologize especially to the Korean people and hope our actions have not jeopardized the positive relations between the people of the United States and our gracious hosts in Seoul,” the swimmers’ statement said.

“Please accept our apology for this incident. We are deeply sorry.”

Helmick said the swimmers would be questioned by South Korean police Tuesday. While authorities could decide to press civil charges in the matter, Helmick said the USOC hopes to have “this matter concluded and the athletes returned to the United States as quickly as possible.”

Until they are allowed to leave South Korea, Helmick said, Dalbey and Gjertsen will be confined to their quarters at the Olympic Village.

Helmick said the USOC was left with no choice but to expel the pair, who earned gold medals as part of the U.S. 400- and 800-meter freestyle relay teams, after the athletes told the board what had happened.

“The facts as presented to us showed that indeed the two athletes took a piece of wall decor from the hotel bar, took it out into the street and carried it into another bar in Itaewon,” Helmick said. “We expressed our keen regrets and they expressed theirs as well.”

Helmick said Dalbey and Gjertsen would be allowed to keep their gold medals and team uniforms even though they had been dismissed from the squad. He also said they could face further action from U.S. Swimming, the governing body of the sport.

The two swimmers finished their competition schedule Friday, but will miss the last week of the Games and the closing ceremony Oct. 2.

“Some of these (young swimmers) just don’t realize the magnitude of their actions when they are suddenly international celebrities the way these kids are now, during these Games,” U.S. Coach Richard Quick said.