Australia says member of men’s Olympic field hockey team arrested in Paris

A player on the Australian men’s field hockey team was arrested in Paris and is being held in custody, the Australian Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, after reports in French media said he had been detained in possession of cocaine.

The committee said no charges had been laid against the member of the team, whose identity was not disclosed. It did not disclose the reason for the arrest which took place on Tuesday.

“The AOC is continuing to make enquiries and arrange support for the team member,” the committee said in a statement.

There was no immediate comments from the Paris police and the International Hockey Federation, the sport’s global governing body.

French media reported that a member of the Australian field hockey team was arrested as he was purchasing cocaine in the ninth arrondissement of Paris.

The Australian men’s team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Olympic tournament with a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands on Sunday.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Nick Mulvenney, Forrest Crellin, Leigh Thomas; Editing by Toby Davis)