The International Olympic Committee is to start a disciplinary inquiry into Ryan Lochte and 3 other United States swimmers who made up a story that they had been mugged in Rio, an IOC official told AFP on Friday, August 19.
Advertisement
Journalists surround American Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz, left, and Jack Conger, center, as they leave the police station at Rio International airport early August 18, 2016.
The rapid-fire developments early Friday came hours after police announced that Lochte and three of his teammates had not been held at gunpoint after a night of partying, as Lochte claimed.
Ryan Lochte has issued an apology on Twitter and Instagram following the events that occurred on Sunday at the Rio Olympics.
Lochte and three USA swimmers said they were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday, with Lochte saying their cab was pulled over by men impersonating police officers.
Brazilian police have said this isn’t true and that in fact they had been drunk and had instead been confronted by armed guards after smashing up a petrol station toilet.
Lochte, a 12-time Olympic medalist, Conger and Bentz were on the 4×200 freestyle relay team that won gold, and Feigen was a member of the gold-winning 4×100 freestyle relay team.
After security video emerged of the incident, the U.S. Olympic Committee admitted an act of vandalism had taken place and apologised for the swimmers’ behaviour.
“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country – with a language barrier – and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave”, he said.
The police early on appeared to have doubts about the 32-year-old swimmer’s veracity.
The USOC said that Conger and Bentz left Rio Thursday after giving statements to authorities and getting their passports back.
Veloso said the other swimmers say it was Lochte, who created the lie.
On Thursday, the USOC apologised “to our hosts in Rio and the people of Brazil” for the swimmers’ unacceptable behaviour and said it would assess any potential consequences for them.
“The IOC has named a disciplinary commission and there will be an inquiry into the four swimmers”, the official said. “Once the security officials received money from the athletes, the athletes were allowed to leave”.
But Veloso insisted there was no evidence the guard’s actions were unreasonable.
Lochte has also borne the brunt of negative media coverage, many reports accusing him of being a liar.
Police said the swimmers had been unable to provide key details in early interviews, saying they had been intoxicated. Then, two men approached with guns and badges and told them to get out and get down, he said.
Unlike Lochte, who won the first of his six career gold medals in Athens in 2004, the pair were competing in their maiden Olympics and were yet to reap the commercial benefits of standing atop a Games podium. “They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on”.
Advertisement
The vast majority of Olympians make a fraction of what top athletes in professional sports generate in endorsement income on a year-round basis, says Peter Land, who works with Olympic and Paralympic sponsors for communications firm Finsbury.
