Ryan Lochte apologized for his conduct last weekend in Rio de Janeiro that precipitated an global scandal involving an alleged robbery and some imbecilic drunken behavior on the part of the 32-year-old gold medalist and three other USA Olympic swimmers.
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The apology comes one day after Rio police said Lochte, 32, fabricated a robbery story in which he claimed a group of armed men posing as police robbed him and three other swimmers as they were returning to the Athletes Village early Sunday morning.
On Thursday, Brazilian Chief of Civil Police Fernando Veloso stated that Lochte’s story had been proven false.
Rio Games organizers hope the swimmers’ atonement, combined with an official apology from the U.S. Olympic Committee, will draw a line under a controversy that has dominated news coverage of South America’s first Olympics and embarrassed the host city.
“It’s absolutely not true”, USOC spokesman Mark Jones said of the report, which was based on unnamed sources. He explained that the swimmers had been detained by a security guard after drunkenly vandalizing a bathroom at a gas station.
Jimmy Feigen was on his way back to the United States on Friday night after having his passport returned while another one of the US swimmers who returned home has apologized and given a detailed account of the incident at the gas station.
In a settlement decision, a Brazilian judge ordered Feigen to pay 35,000 Reais (about $11,000) on Friday.
“I think all of us, more than just thanking, we should also accept the apology by the U-S Olympic committe, it was the correct gesture by them”.
The 12-time Olympic medalist reiterated his view that a stranger pointed a gun at him and demanded money to let him leave a gas station. In this Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016 frame from surveillance video released by Brazil Police, swimmers from the United States Olympic team appear with Ryan Lochte, right, at a gas station during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janei.
The saga of American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three teammates during the Rio Olympics has produced a head-spinning series of developments in Brazil and beyond. USA Swimming said it could also take possible action.
In an online post, Lochte today said it was a “situation that could and should have been avoided”.
The situation raises questions about the future for Lochte, who is planning to take time off from swimming but wants to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Two of the other swimmers, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, were on their way Friday after being held in Brazil to testify.
In his account of last week’s incident, Gunnar Bentz said the guards confronted them after they had urinated behind bushes near a petrol station.
It said it would further review the incident and assess any potential consequences for the athletes.
“While we are thankful our athletes are safe, we do not condone the lapse in judgment and conduct that led us to this point”, USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said.
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“While these athletes are the best in the world at their craft, the massive global spotlight shines on them for a few weeks every four years”, said Land.
