US swimmer, Ryan Lochte, has issued an apology for the robbery scandal that’s overshadowed the last several days of the summer games.
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USA swimmer Ryan Lochte has issued an apology for claiming he was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning after a night of partying, when in actuality he and three teammates were detained at gunpoint after vandalizing a Rio gas station. “But regardless of anyone else’s behavior that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself”. They were then confronted by uniformed security guards, who displayed their weapons and asked for compensation for the damage before allowing the athletes to leave.
The event sparked an worldwide controversy.
US Olympian Jimmy Feigen is expected to donate $11,000 to a Brazilian charity in order to settle a dispute over allegations that he and his team-mates fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint during the Rio Games. Rio authorities believe that the four swimmers actually arrived at a gas station, where one of them proceeded to vandalize a bathroom.
The three were accused of lying to the police over the matter that infuriated Games organisers and the people of Brazil as they’ve accused the Americans of sullying the country’s reputation.
But Rio’s Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said the four US swimmers were not robbed.
The apology was made on Thursday after the departure of Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, who were among four American swimmers shown to have lied about being stopped by gunmen posing as police in the early hours of Sunday.
A Brazilian judge provided another twist to the saga of four USA swimmers embroiled in a scandal at the Rio Games, suspending permission for one of the athletes, Jimmy Feigen, to leave the country – even though he had flown home hours earlier.
“We just wanted to get out of there”, Lochte said, adding the swimmers were frightened.
“It’s how you want to make it look like”, Lochte said. They left the country Thursday night.
The International Olympic Committee is to start a disciplinary inquiry into United States swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates.
Ryan Lochte issued a statement on Friday where he apologized for his “behavior” last weekend, citing language barriers and being out late in a foreign country as contributing factors to the global incident.
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“I want to offer a honest apology to the United States Olympic Committee, USA Swimming, the extraordinary women and men of Team USA, and the University of Georgia”, Bentz said in his statement.
