Amid the turmoil engulfing Ryan Lochte and three other USA swimmers over their mugging story, Rio organisers on August 18, 2016 gave them words of sympathy.
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In his apology, Lochte, 32, described the night as “traumatic”. Bentz said they were ordered out of the cab by security guards and ultimately forced, with guns drawn, to sit on a nearby sidewalk.
The athletes initially refused to stay, but security asked the taxi not to leave.
His comments fuelled criticism of Games organisers after the sporting action has competed for headlines with a series of muggings and armed robberies of high-profile athletes and visitors in Rio de Janeiro, including two government ministers. “I am very proud to present my country in Olympic competition and this was a situation that could and should have been avoided”.
Bentz and Conger – who were taken off a plane at Tom Jobim International Airport on Wednesday and whose passports were seized by police who wanted answers about a reported robbery – gave statements to the authorities and have now been allowed to leave Rio de Janeiro, Blackmun said late Thursday.
“Let me begin by emphasizing that I have been completely truthful in my statements throughout this unfortunate situation, including the information I provided to United States officials before leaving Brazil”, the statement said.
Bentz and Conger were later pulled from a USA bound flight home by officials who suspected that the United States swimming team falsified some details of the event.
After continuous public claims that Lochte had been a victim of an armed robbery during a night out with his fellow U.S. Olympic swimming teammates, the gold medalist issued a lengthy statement on Friday regarding the unfolding Olympic scandal.
While Bentz says the guards did not brandish weapons at that moment, he does say they pulled their weapons out when teammates James Feigen and Jack Conger turned around to leave.
Conger went on to provide a brief summary of the events last Sunday, which echoed numerous same details provided by Bentz in his statement.
Lochte referred again to the gun in his apology, claiming confusion owing to his group’s inability to speak Portuguese. “The athletes and their remarkable stories should be the focus”.
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“There has already been too much said and too many valuable resources dedicated to what happened last weekend, so I hope we spend our time celebrating the great stories and performance of these Games and look ahead to celebrating future successes”, he wrote.
