The two coaches - Andrei Popov and Sergei Sizhanov - are both Russian but have been funded by UK Sport's World-Class Performance programme since 2006.

The incident took place on the Thursday before the prestigious event and is said to have resulted in the pair, who had gone out drinking, becoming involved in a fight in a bar to which police were called.

While Jane Allen, chief executive of British Gymnastics, refused to discuss details of the incident, she confirmed the two coaches had been sanctioned for "completely inappropriate" conduct.

"While I can't comment on the specifics surrounding the incident which have been widely speculated on, I can confirm the two coaches were sent home for completely inappropriate actions in Rotterdam on the Thursday prior to the competition," she said.

"We took immediate action by bringing them home straight away and they have been suspended on full pay while the disciplinary process takes place.

"We don't condone their actions in any way and we believe it was important to remove them when we did, so as not to compromise the team in any way."

At the Olympics in 2008 Popov (pictured) was in charge of a group of young athletes, including Dan Purvis, who won a bronze medal on the floor in Rotterdam, sent to Beijing to gain experience for London 2012.

Sizhanov, meanwhile, was the coach of the successful British team which was so successful at the European Junior Championships in Birmingham in April where the men's squad retained their team title and Sam Oldham and Max Whitlock won gold and silver in the individual event.

"By dealing with the issue in the efficient manner that we did the team was hampered in no way and we saw that with the fantastic performances to claim a gold, silver and bronze medal," said Allen.

"The medal-winning performances really did see us put a line in the sand and show our rivals that we mean business ahead of London 2012."

Beth Tweddle, who recaptured her world uneven bars title in Rotterdam, said she was barely conscious of the fact the incident took place as she claimed victory in Sunday's final.

"To be honest, I wasn't really aware anything had happened at all," she told insidethegames.

"You are in your own little bubble when you are taking part at major competitions and, on a personal level, the preparation for the event went perfectly and there were no problems for me."

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