Boris Matic, the father of Croatian Olympic gold medallist Barbara Matic, has been acquitted of sexual assault charges and released from police custody in Paris.

The allegation of sexual assault was dismissed and Matić was released because the police did not find any evidence to find him guilty, according to sources close to the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO).

On Thursday, Matic was taken into custody in Paris on suspicion of sexually assaulting a volunteer in the stands of the Champs de Mars sports hall at the moment his daughter Barbara Matić was winning the Olympic gold medal in judo.

According to media reports, Matic kissed a volunteer on the mouth, after which she reported him to the police. The father of the Croatian judoka defended himself by saying that he grabbed the first person next to him and kissed her on the cheek in ecstasy, completely unaware of his action.

Matic was in contact with the HOO and the Croatian Embassy in Paris all the time, and was represented by a Paris lawyer of Croatian origin, Philippe Cosic.