News
#Rio2016: Ryan Lochte and 3 other #TeamUSA Olympic Swimmers have been Robbed in Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 12: Ryan Lochte of the United States attends a press conference in the Main Press Center on Day 7 of the Rio Olympics on August 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
Gold medal-winner Ryan Lochte and three other members of the US Olympic swimming team have been robbed at Rio.
Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen were stopped by people posing as armed police, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) said in a statement according to BBC.
The robbers demanded money and other personal belongings.
Initially the International Olympic Committee (IOC) denied reports of the robbery, before the US committee confirmed it had taken place.
“All four athletes are safe and co-operating with authorities,” the USOC’s statement said.
The group had been attending a party at the French Olympic team’s hospitality house when their taxi was stopped on the way back to the athletes’ village.
Earlier, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said reports of the robbery were “absolutely not true”.
In the build-up to the games, three members of the Spanish Olympics sailing team and an Australian paralympian were robbed at gunpoint.
The Brazilian authorities have deployed more than 80,000 police and soldiers to patrol Rio during the games.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Matt Hazlett
