Kiwi swimmer sent home early from Games

1:02 pm on 15 October 2010

A New Zealand athlete was sent home early from the Commonwealth Games for breaking a ban on alcohol.

Swimmer Daniel Bell was ordered home on Tuesday after being found with drink on Monday.

Swimming New Zealand chief executive Mike Byrne says there is a blanket ban on alcohol for all teams travelling overseas.

Mr Byrne says there was no incident stemming from the drinking but the rule still applies, partly to improve swimmer performance and partly to prevent unpleasant incidents.

Bell earlier won a silver medal for backstroke.