Lochte: U.S. swimmers are ‘safe and unharmed’ after robbery
ASSOCIATED PRESS
United States’ Ryan Lochte competes in the men’s 200-meter individual medley final during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
RIO DE JANEIRO >> Ryan Lochte and three other American swimmers were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday by thieves posing as police officers who stopped their taxi and took their money and belongings.
In the latest security incident to hit the Rio de Janeiro Games, Lochte told NBC that one of the robbers put a gun to his forehead before taking his wallet. No one was injured.
“While it is true that my teammates and I were the victims of a robbery early Sunday morning, what is most important is that we are safe and unharmed,” Lochte said in a message posted on Instagram. “I look forward to getting home so that I can begin to map out the plans for my future with an eye on representing #TeamUSA at the #2020 Tokyo Olympics.”
Lochte and his teammates were returning to the athletes’ village by taxi after a night out at the French Olympic team’s hospitality house in the Rodrigo de Freitas area in the upscale south zone of the city. The outing was several hours after Olympic swimming ended Saturday night at the Rio Games.
“Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings,” U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement. “All four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities.”
Sandusky told The Associated Press the robbers took cash and credit cards only, and that no Olympic medals were lost.
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Traveling with Lochte were Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen. Lochte swam in two events at the Rio Games, winning gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He is a 12-time Olympic medalist.
Bentz and Conger were also part of that relay, their only event in Rio. Feigen was on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, another gold winner for the U.S. in Rio.
“We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over,” Lochte told NBC’s “Today” show . “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground.
“And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down,’ and I put my hands up, I was like ‘whatever.’ He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.”
USA Today and Fox Sports Australia first reported the news, citing Lochte’s mother, Ileana Lochte.
“We are all safe,” Bentz tweeted. “Thank you for your love and support. P.S. the gold medal is safe.”
Word of the robbery touched off a chain of confusion between Olympic and U.S. officials. An International Olympic Committee spokesman said reports of the robbery were “absolutely not true,” then reversed himself, apologized and said he was relying on initial information from the USOC that was wrong.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Michael Phelps, a good friend of Lochte’s and one of his roommates in the athletes village.
Phelps spent the evening with his family and wasn’t out with his teammates.
Brazil’s sports minister, Leonardo Picciani, said that the swimmers were “outside their places of competition and outside the appropriate time.” He said no athlete had run into problems at the venues or in the athletes village.
Street crime was a major concern of Olympic organizers going into the games. Brazil deployed 85,000 soldiers and police to secure the games, twice as many as Britain used during the 2012 London Olympics.
Last week, a Brazilian security officer was fatally shot after taking a wrong turn into a dangerous favela, or slum. Two Australian rowing coaches were attacked and robbed by two assailants in Ipanema, and Portugal’s education minister was held up at knifepoint on a busy street.
In addition, stray bullets have twice landed in the equestrian venue, and two windows were shattered on a bus carrying journalists in an attack that Rio organizers blamed on rocks and others claimed was gunfire.
American swimmer Nathan Adrian said he’s not concerned about his safety.
“Rio is an amazing city,” he said. “There’s going to be problems anywhere you go. We have been briefed on how to mitigate those risks as well as possible.”
Now that swimming is over, Adrian added, the athletes want to see the sights and sounds of Rio.
“We just came off an amazing performance,” he said. “All of us are ready to enjoy that a little bit after a long time working really hard.”
Phelps hires his own security when he travels outside the United States.
“Every time we travel internationally, we always make sure that everything’s very secure. No matter where I’m going,” he said. “I have a team, personally, that is always looking out for everything.”
Phelps said he’s never had any trouble during numerous trips to Brazil in the lead-up to the games, many of them tied to his sponsorship deals.
“I’ve felt safe every time I came here,” he said. “I’ve never had an issue.”
21 responses to “Lochte: U.S. swimmers are ‘safe and unharmed’ after robbery”
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The performances so far have been inspiring, the athletes phenomenal. The venue much less so. (I wonder for example, if they’ve managed to restore the green lagoons? I looking forward to actually being able to see the water polo finals. One thing you will not see in Tokyo, no way, is world-famous athletes being robbed on the streets.
This all brings me to my point. Why has no one called for an examination of the financial records of the IOC and the members of the committee who thought that Rio would be just a fine place to hold the Olympic games. So much money changes hands so quickly at the highest levels of international athletics that one could get whiplash trying to follow it. What really irritates me is that these fat cats do a disservice to the hard working, committed, sincere athletes of all nations.
Understand that they’re replacing the water…hopefully in time for the synchronized swimming.
Oh? thought shocking the pool with an overdose of chlorine was the answer.
It was hydrogen peroxide.
The real story is the shocking poverty in Brazil which directly leads to these kinds of robberies. I would like to see a story on how Olympic athletes are helping the poorest of the poor in Rio.
There already was shown a documentary about the favellas. There was a scene about a young teen boy who was abandoned at a younger age and he stole and begged to survive. It hardened him so much he became an assassin for the drug lords who live on the top of the largest favella called Rohinya. He would wear a helmet and ride a motorcycle looking for the undercover SWAT cops. Go up to their homes and ask to talk to him. Shoot him and scram. Sometimes these cops would be captured and taken blindfolded up to the top of Rohinya. Tortured and killed before thrown off the cliff to the other side. Rhohypnol is a favorite as a date rape drug used to incapacitate foreigners who think they’re lucky to grab two of the most beautiful Help Disco dancers of the night. Everything including Passport is gone. I personally have seen unwashed and uncombed children begging in the streets. Tried to share a lunch with one of them when a fat white lady yelled at me, “No! There are too many of them!” The locals are paid the equivalent of US$2.00 a dia. That’s why so many go into prostitutionn. No other choice. Someone sticking a gun under your chin hard and swiping your wallet, watch, and anything of value is commonplace. Ryan should be happy he got robbed and unharmed. He can joke about his personal robbery just like he won his medals. He got the FULL Rio experience. To tell you the truth I don’t like getting robbed, but I later learned to laugh about it. It’s part of the experience of traveling. You want to see the bad as well as the good things they offer. You want to get robbed? Visit the Philippines, Thailand, and Riol They might even steal your clothes to make sure they got everything, and then you gotta walk home naked.
Poverty is never an excuse to violent crime. Why is it the athlete’s responsibility to give them money? And how do you know that these thugs are from poverty?
I got robbed, too. Da sleepy Pordagee cop asked me, “When are you leaving?” Did you notice plenty of empty seats in every venue? Broken plumbing with water cascading down the stairs? Fire alarm and the residents return to find their belongings snatched? Gun robberies everywhere? Slum children shoplifting from the street front stores. Just grab and run. Running through Capacabana and Ipenema Beaches and stealing from beachgoers’ bags. Everybody is a turkey ripe for robberies non-stop. Lots of ugly Travestis up and down Avenida de Atlantica pickpocketing tourists. Why would anyone go to an Olympic in the most dangerous country in the world? Mo beddah just watch all the contests on TV in the safe confines of your own home with your kitchen well stocked with spirits, pupus, your guns nearby, and all the favorite people who make up your family. As an experienced traveler I suggest you wear old second hand clothes wrinkled and full of holes. Do not bring your wedding rings or any jewelry. Don’t even wear fake jewelry. No shave or comb your hair. Don’t socialize with the Brazilians as their favorite sport is SNEERING. Not volleyball. Put a few coins in your pockets and hide paper Reals in a pouch with belt loops and hand it inside your waistband. I never carry more than a value of US$20. If I see something more expensive I want to buy I return with the money. Never use credit cards in any foreign land. Just cash. Sometimes they take your CC and make double charges. Just copy your signature from the first receipt. If someone tries to talk to you just play deaf or act you don’t understand and keep asking them to repeat, repeat, and repeat until they get tired.
This is disgusting but mot a surprise. Everyone was warned about the crime that would happen in Rio. The Olympics should never be held in a country in such turmoil. I just worry we are still going to hear that a building collapsed where they are staying. Shall I add the filthy water?
Events like the Olympics in 3rd world countries isn’t a good idea.
3rd world countries are populated by 3rd world denizens.
Yeah, that’s what the 16 year old boy was saying in Aeia when he got robbed.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they were real cops … apparently “the cops” knew who was in the taxi
Not so fast. Doubtful the bogus police knew exactly who was in the car. They merely staked out the route taxis take when returning to the Olympic village and got lucky.
Maybe Trump can run for President of Brazil (their President has been removed) and build walls to keep everyone living in the slums out of the rich sections of Rio.
Trying for the gold and they got nothing but a bad and dangerous experience! Like someone mentioned, they should not include countries to host the Olymics if the host country can’t provide security, safety and healthy sanitary environment. It’s not fair for the participants’ investment of years of training , self-discipline and sacrifices to endanger their lives in these countries.
IOC demanded bribes and Lula paid. Same happened at the Utah Winter Olympics. Juan Samaranch was corrupt and retired without changing anything. Need to boot out the black committee members. Fork them.
How do they know it was people pretending to be police officers. They could have been corrupt police.
Brazil’s sports minister, Leonardo Picciani, said that the swimmers were “outside their places of competition and outside the appropriate time.” – oh, I see, it was their fault huh. They should have known better than to leave the village after dark? Brazil’s government adds insult to injury with statements such as this. The Olympics should not be held in third world countries unable to provide security.
Olympic Officials worst fears came to fruition? The City is beset with large sections of poverty and the more enterprising will use creative imaginations to rob the unsuspecting visitors. This incident made the news wire due the celebrity nature, but the multitude of other incidents against the visiting spectators are being ignored for lack of pizzas.
If this is the only incident so far than consider its going well.
wouldn’t be surprised if the cabbies are in on it. who picks up a fare and goes to a gas station to fill up.
more likely the cabbies pick up the fare and then head to the gas station or other venue where the robbery is staged to look spontaneous.