Tutu man gets five months
for Olympic plunge

Canadian sentenced for jumping off
3-meter springboard

Mark Humphrey / AP

Ron Bensimhon jumps into the diving pool during the Men's 3 meter synchronized springboard diving event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Monday.

updated 9:51 a.m. ET Aug. 18, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - A tutu-clad Canadian who jumped into the Olympic diving pool after a competition was convicted Wednesday of interrupting the games and sentenced to five months in jail. He was released pending an appeal.

Ron Bensimhon, 31, of Montreal, jumped off the 3-meter springboard at the diving venue Monday night wearing a blue tutu and white tights with polka dots.

“I didn’t think what I did was so serious. I won’t do it again,” he told the judge.

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Bensimhon had what looked like an advertisement for an Internet casino written across his chest but denied staging the stunt for money. He told the court he wanted to honor legendary Greek marathon runner Spyros Louis, who won gold in the first modern Olympics in 1896.

The incident prompted organizers to tighten security at Olympic venues with police officers dressed as volunteers.

In March, Bensimhon disrupted the world figure skating championships in Dortmund, Germany, when he skated onto the ice and donned a tutu as defending champion Michelle Kwan was about to perform. Painted on his chest was the name of a Web site.

After that event, Bensimhon was almost immediately released because his infraction was deemed only disorderly conduct and not an offense meriting arrest.