The Australian Olympic Committee has banned its athletes from two of Rio’s most popular beaches during the evenings after the armed robbery of Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte and three other USA swimmers.
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The Daily Mail Online has released security footage of Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jimmy Feigen, and Jack Conger entering the Olympic Village after Sunday morning’s gunpoint robbery.
The armed robbers proceeded to threaten the American athletes and ordered them to get down on the ground, which Lochte’s teammates did.
“We obviously regret that the violence got so close to athletes”, Andrada said. He cocked it, put it on my forehead and he said, ‘Get down.’ I put my hands up. “I was like, ‘whatever”. The thieves were disguised as police officers who stopped the taxi they are riding and took their money and belongings. The robbers took the athletes’ credit cards and cash, leaving behind their mobile phones and travel credentials. The Olympic swimming competition in Rio finished Saturday and he was reportedly at France House to celebrate a friend’s birthday. “We have requested the security authorities that they need to make sure everybody is safe everywhere in the city”.
Word of the robbery initially created confusion between Olympic and US officials.
Rio is notorious for its high levels of street crime and the Games have been peppered by incidents.
Ryan Lochte’s mother said the swimmer was unharmed but was shaken by the incident.
The rumours that Lochte had been the victim of an armed robbery were initially denied by his coach and U.S. officials. The meeting was held Sunday night because it was the earliest they could get all parties together, he said.
Brazil has deployed 85,000 soldiers and police to secure the games, twice as many as Britain used during the 2012 London Olympics.
Michael Phelps, Lochte’s teammate and roommate in the athletes village, said, ‘I couldn’t believe it’.
On Sunday evening, Lochte spoke to representatives of the U.S. State Department, FBI, Brazil’s Tourist Police and the USOC’s security team about the incident.
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A spokesman for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially said that the reports of a robbery were not true and attributed the information to the (USOC).
