Australian Olympic hockey player Tom Craig was apprehended in Paris and is currently in custody for allegedly purchasing cocaine, according to a source from a police union on Wednesday.
The Australian Olympic Committee had previously announced that a member of the men's hockey team had been arrested, but did not disclose the player's identity. The Paris prosecutor's office also refrained from naming the athlete but confirmed that an Australian sportsman had been detained for acquiring cocaine.
Craig, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, has represented the national team in over 100 matches. The Australian men's team, nicknamed the Kookaburras, was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Paris tournament after a 2-0 defeat by the Netherlands on Sunday.
The prosecutor's office detailed that officers who observed a cocaine deal at the base of a building in the ninth arrondissement of Paris between the nights of August 6 and 7 arrested both the seller, born in December 2006, and the buyer, born in September 1995 in Australia.
Craig's birthdate, September 3, 1995, aligns with the buyer's date of birth as per his profile on the Paris 2024 results website. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) stated that no charges have been filed and did not provide details regarding the arrest.
"The AOC is continuing to make enquiries and arrange support for the team member," the committee stated in an official release. French media, citing police sources, reported that Craig had purchased approximately one gram of cocaine. There has been no immediate comment from the International Hockey Federation, the global governing body of the sport.
