Australian hockey player Tom Craig has apologised after being released in Paris following his arrest for allegedly buying cocaine.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that a person was arrested Tuesday evening for buying cocaine in the 9th arrondissement.
Craig was released with a warning, but received no conviction or fine.
“I want to first of all apologize for what happened over the last 24 hours. I made a terrible mistake. I take full responsibility for my actions,” Craig said as he left the police station.
“My actions are my own and in no way reflect the values of my family, my teammates, my friends, my sport and the Australian Olympic team. I have caused you all embarrassment. I am truly sorry.”
Craig, 28, won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Games and has played more than 100 international matches for Australia.
Australia’s chief of mission Anna Meares said she was “pleased” that Craig had been released but “could not condone” his actions.
She added: “He’s a good person who made a bad decision. But there are consequences for decisions like this.
“He has apologized, he has shown remorse, he has admitted his mistake and we will support him if he needs help.”
Meares said Craig had already left the Olympic Village and would lose his remaining privileges at the Games.
Before his release, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said: “Police officers who witnessed a cocaine transaction at the foot of a building in the 9th arrondissement (of Paris), on the night of 6 to 7 August, arrested the seller, born in December 2006, and the buyer, born in September 1995 in Australia and reportedly a member of the Australian hockey team.
“Given the quantities of drugs seized from the seller, the investigation has been entrusted to the anti-drug police.”
The Australian men’s and women’s hockey teams were both eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament in Paris 2024.