The athletes, from various sports, altered their accreditation to gain entry into the men’s basketball tournament between Australia and Serbia in the Olympic park, according to NBC News.
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The athletes were detained at the venue and taken to a police station where they remained several hours later, Tancred said.
The athletes are being questioned at a Rio police station accompanied by AOC lawyer Fiona de Jong.
Mike Tancred, the Aussie team’s media boss, confirmed police were talking to Aussie athletes.
Swimmer Josh Palmer will be free to join them after being interviewed by Rio police for almost six hours on Saturday over his claims he was robbed at gunpoint in Copacabana.
Fiona de Jong, chief executive of the AOC, said: “Earlier this evening, a number of Australian athletes went to support their mates at the Australia versus Serbia match”.
Otherwise the athletes would have been forced to stay in Brazil at least three weeks, pending trial, and face a potential jail term if found guilty.
Ms de Jong told reporters the athletes did not have the correct accreditation, saying “a mistake was made. we have apologised for that mistake before the magistrate and prosecutor”. I think it’s very important to note that the athletes were not at fault.
After initially imposing a closing ceremony ban on the pair, Chiller overturned the decision for medal-winning McKeon after she wrote an apparently-impressive apology.
It may seem trivial but Rio authorities are in no mood for any more misbehaviour from athletes after the incident involving American swimmer Ryan Lochte, who lied about being held up and robbed.
There is great frustration in Rio across numerous National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that seats go begging, denying athletes who have finished competing a chance to cheer on their teammates. “They were looked after”, she said.
The athletes were detained for 10 hours by Brazilian police.
The athletes are: Ashlee Ankudinoff (cycling), Melissa Hoskins (cycling), Ed Jenkins (rugby), Alec Potts (archery), Ryan Tyack (archery), Olympia Aldersey (rowing), Fiona Albert (rowing), Lucy Stephan (rowing), Simon Orchard (hockey).
A tenth, cyclist Matthew Glaetzer, was not charged but detained as a witness.
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The AOC will pay the fine and any legal fees.
