Kurzweil
JF-Expert Member
- May 25, 2011
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The Olympic athletes village in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A STRING of alleged sexual assaults at the Olympic Village is threatening to cast a show over the Rio games with a second athlete arrested by police.
The boxer who carried the Namibian flag at the Olympic opening ceremony has been arrested, the second time an athlete at the games has been detained by police following an allegation.
Jonas Junias Jonas, 22, was detained on Sunday for sexually assaulting a female room cleaner in the athletes’ village in Rio de Janeiro, a police spokeswoman told news agency AFP.
His arrest came just two days after police arrested another Olympic boxer, Morocco’s Hassan Saada, also 22, on suspicion of sexually assaulting two female cleaners in the athletes’ village.
Brazilian news site G1 reported that allegedly Mr Jonas kissed and groped the Brazilian housekeeper as she cleaned, while his coach stood by and watched.
Namibia's flag-bearer Jonas Junias Jonas leads his delegation during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
“She was cleaning another room. He grabbed her from behind and gave her a kiss on the neck,” police spokeswoman Carolina Salomao told G1.
Jonas proceeded to make sexually suggestive gestures and offer the woman money, Ms Salomao said.
“This shows a lack of respect for Brazilian women.”
Mr Jonas’ coach will not face charges, but “should have reprimanded him, at a minimum”, she said.
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said security at the village was appropriate, and he understood the athlete remained in custody.
“Security is pretty tight at the village. I’m not going to talk about individual cases but security has been tight all the way through,” he told reporters in Rio.
Mr Jonas was to fight Frenchman Hassan Amzile on Thursday in the light welterweight class.
Mr Saada remains in custody in Rio.
Boxer Saada Hassan of Morocco was competing at the games prior to his arrest. Picture: AFP.Source:AFP
The Moroccan Boxing Federation said on Saturday the women had indeed been in Mr Saada’s room, but that he “does not understand the allegations”.
Two boxers were in the suite at the time, it said in a statement.
“The doors were open, and no noise and no complaints were heard,” it said.
The Moroccan was handed an automatic loss for his qualifying bout in the light heavyweight class.
Source: AFP and Reuters
