Donatila
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 23, 2014
- 7,772
- 22,598
The US Olympic Committee has said four swimmers, including multiple medallist Ryan Lochte, have been robbed by armed men in Rio.
Lochte, along with Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, were targeted as they made their way back to the Olympic Village in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In a statement, the USOC said: "Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes' money and other personal belongings."
All of the men are said to be safe and co-operating with the authorities.
A spokesman for the International Olympic Committee had earlier described claims that Lochte had been held up at gunpoint as "absolutely not true".
Lochte's mother, Ileana, had told USA Today that her son and the other sportsmen were "shaken up" after the incident.
The US athletes were returning from a party with the Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira at a complex run by the French Olympic Committee at the time of the robbery.
Australian competitors in Rio have been told to take extra precautions if they choose to go sightseeing outside of secure hospitality zones - with athletes banned from visiting the iconic Copacabana beach after dark.
"There's been a lot of increased petty criminal, but criminal, activity on the actual beaches," Australian Chef de Mission, Kitty Chiller, said.
Thefts and muggings are something of a common occurrence in the Brazilian city - with a government minister, press photographers, athletes and their coaches some of the high-profile targets who have fallen victim to crime in recent days.
Lochte, along with Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, were targeted as they made their way back to the Olympic Village in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In a statement, the USOC said: "Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes' money and other personal belongings."
All of the men are said to be safe and co-operating with the authorities.
A spokesman for the International Olympic Committee had earlier described claims that Lochte had been held up at gunpoint as "absolutely not true".
Lochte's mother, Ileana, had told USA Today that her son and the other sportsmen were "shaken up" after the incident.
The US athletes were returning from a party with the Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira at a complex run by the French Olympic Committee at the time of the robbery.
Australian competitors in Rio have been told to take extra precautions if they choose to go sightseeing outside of secure hospitality zones - with athletes banned from visiting the iconic Copacabana beach after dark.
"There's been a lot of increased petty criminal, but criminal, activity on the actual beaches," Australian Chef de Mission, Kitty Chiller, said.
Thefts and muggings are something of a common occurrence in the Brazilian city - with a government minister, press photographers, athletes and their coaches some of the high-profile targets who have fallen victim to crime in recent days.
