2024 Olympics: Ryan Lochte Reveals Why U.S. Swimmers Can’t Leave the Village During Games

The first rule of the Olympic Village: Stay in the Olympic Village.

Olympian Ryan Lochte shared insight into the Team USA rules regarding the Olympic Village—the area where the competing nations house their athletes at the Games—amid the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“But you can leave for certain things…” Kayla then posited, to which Ryan immediately shut down with a “No.”

The 12-time Olympic medalist said there were certain special occasions that swimmers had to get approved by their head coach.

The rules surrounding the Olympic village have been widely discussed after Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira was dismissed from this year's games for leaving the grounds with her teammate Gabriel Santos following the Opening Ceremony July 26.

The 22-year-old athlete later said a “communication failure” led to the end of her Olympic dream.

Ryan, the second-most decorated American swimmer after Michael Phelps, is no stranger to Olympics controversy. In 2016, Ryan claimed he and three other American swimmers—Gunnar Bentz, Jimmy Feigen and Jack Conger—were robbed at gunpoint at a gas station amid the Rio Olympics. Ryan later admitted that he exaggerated the incident, leading to charges of falsely reporting a crime, which were later dismissed, and a 10-month suspension by US Swimming.

But while he stepped away from competition after failing to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he’s been in Paris cheering his former teammates on.

Including Ryan Murphy, who learned he and wife Bridget were having a baby girl after winning the bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke—to which the What Would Ryan Lochte Do? gushed about on social media.

“Representing #teamusa @ryan_f_murphy not only collecting his medal in the 100 backstroke tonight, but also found out him and his wife are having a baby girl!!!” he excitedly shared on Instagram July 29. “Wow! Congrats my man, my hat goes off to you. Job well done.”

Team USA has shown up and showed out at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Read on for more.

Athletics - Women's 200m

Wrestling - Women's Freestyle 68kg

Athletics - Men's 1500m

Women's Surfing

Athletics - Women's Discus

Athletics - Men's 100m

Swimming - Women's 4x100m Medley Relay

Swimming - Men's 1500m Freestyle

Cycling - Women's Road Race

Golf - Men's Individual Stroke Play

Shooting - Men's Skeet

Athletics - Men's Shot Put

Swimming - Women's 800m Freestyle

Swimming - Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay

Gymnastics - Women's Vault

Fencing - Women's Foil Team

Swimming - Women's 200m Breaststroke 

Gymnastics - Women's All-Around

Rowing - Men's Four

Swimming - Women's 1500m Freestyle

Gymnastics - Womens' Team

Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly

Fencing - Women's Foil Individual

Swimming - Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay