At the time, Australia’s Chef de Mission, Kitty Chiller, wrote to the Rio organizing committee and mayor demanding increased security.
Advertisement
Not even two full days after the Olympic Games kicked off with a rousing opening ceremony, two Australian rowing coaches were robbed at knifepoint by a pair of Brazilian teenagers while walking back to their hotel on Friday night. Australia’s Olympic rowers and beach volleyball teams, who are staying near Ipanema beach, began competing yesterday. “They both lost their mobile phones”.
“Our message is that we want them to not go out in pairs because it is just not safe”, Mike Tancred said.
Thankfully, neither of the coaches was injured in the incident.
“The host city has a responsibility to protect all the athletes and officials”. “They need to lift their game”. As a result of the incident, all officials and athletes traveling between the two hotels will now travel in a vehicle.
Australian team members have also been advised to wear casual clothes when out in public and keep their accreditation hidden.
“They seem to be picking off people in ones or twos”, said Tancred.
Spectators at the men’s road cycling race were left confused and startled when security services carried out a controlled explosion on a package left near the event’s finish line in Copacabana.
Advertisement
The attack was initially kept secret by Australian officials, as they didn’t wish to disrupt the team’s focus on the first day of the competition.
