Embarrassment as Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Lochte Robbed at Gunpoint by ‘Fake Police’ in Rio

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By Emily Zanotti | 8:57 pm, August 14, 2016
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In the latest embarrassing incident to mar Rio’s Olympic games, US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint by fake policemen early Sunday morning.

The terrifying incident occurred as Lochte and his crew were leaving a party at “Club France,” a hospitality suite for athletes provided by the French Olympic team. Fortunately, no one was harmed.

According to a US Olympic Committee spokesman, Lochte and his fellow swimmers, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Felden, were in a taxi when several men dressed as police officers stopped their car. The men brandished handguns and demanded that the Olympians give up their money and personal belongings.

Lochte, who won a gold medal in the men’s relay last week, described the ordeal to host network NBC:

Fortunately, Lochte, who is known for his chill pool demeanor, said he was similarly calm and collected during the ordeal, handing over his belongings:

He called his mother when he was safe back at the Olympic Village to tell her he was okay and to report his wallet stolen. His mom, Ileana Lochte, was the first to report the incident to authorities, and to the USOC.

Lochte took to Twitter this afternoon to reassure fans that he was unhurt and in good spirits.

https://twitter.com/RyanLochte/status/764944107101978625

The team also made sure their friends and family knew that their most important valuable was still in hand.

The International Olympic Committee tried its best to diffuse claims that crime in Rio was affecting the athletes, in much the same way they’d spent the week insisting that the acid-green Rio diving pool was just a nice, normal shade, and totally safe for athletes (we now know it was contaminated with algae bloom, of course).

At first, the IOC tried denying that anything had happened to Lochte, claiming that rumors of an attack “absolutely not true” and that they’d “spoken” to the swimmer who told them nothing was wrong. The IOC later apologized, telling media that they’d gotten incorrect information from the USOC.

The Brazil’s Minister of Sport blamed the incident on Lochte and his teammates, who were outside the Olympic “security zone” when they were accosted.

Sunday’s robbery was one of several embarrassing incidents that have marred Rio’s Olympic Games. Before the Games began, several athletes had their OIympic Village rooms burgled during a fire drill; two Australian coaches were attacked in nearby Ipanema during a tour of Rio and its surroundings; and the Rio Games’s chief of security was robbed at knife-point right after the Opening Ceremonies. A few stray bullets also made their way into the equestrian arena during a preliminary round.

But most athletes, in interviews, have said that they feel generally safe.

Lochte, for his part, has completely recovered, and was back for more NBC …

 

 

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