Basketball team “trashed apartments” — Olympics chief

Members of the Spanish basketball team caused more than 11,000 euros' worth of damage to their accommodation in London's Olympic Village after losing the final of the competition 107-100 to the USA on August 12.

The incident was revealed by Dennis Hone, the chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority who also heads up the London Legacy Development Corporation, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper. Spain's players, according to Hone, "trashed their apartments."

The scene was observed the following morning by the Spanish Olympic Team's chief of mission, Cayetano Cornet, as the players were preparing to leave the Olympic Village. Hone said it was the only incident of its type during the Games, although apparently a Moroccan athlete broke a sprinkler system with a remote controlled airplane. The system subsequently fell through several floors, The Guardian reported.

Although the Spanish Basketball Federation claimed it had not received notification of the events, other sources said some players had been reprimanded for their conduct in what was apparently the aftermath of a rowdy post-tournament night out.

Mischief at end-of-tournament parties is nothing unusual, but the whiter-than-white image of the Spanish basketball team on and off the court has been somewhat blotted by some of its members overstepping the mark in London.