Dutch gymnast hires lawyer after being kicked off Olympic team

Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder hired Cor Hellingman to be his lawyer, the lawyer confirmed to Brabants Dagblad. It is unclear whether he plans to fight the NOC*NSF's decision to put him out of the the Netherlands' Olympic team. "I've been in touch with Yuri and I can confirm that from now on I am his lawyer", Hellingman said to the newspaper. "I am working hard, and I'd like to leave it at that." Hellingman also represented Van Gelder in 2010 after the gymnastics federation put him out of the squad for the World Championships in Rotterdam. The official reason was "medical reasons of a personal nature". In 2009 he was suspended for a year because of cocaine use. Van Gelder was sent home on Monday for what the NOC*NSF called "unacceptable behavior". He celebrated his successful qualification for the apparatus finals with an all-night party on Saturday.