Brazilian authorities present case that runs counter to US swimmer’s claims he was held up at gunpoint after night out in Rio de Janeiro

The American swimmer Ryan Lochte was on Thursday accused of making up a story of being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro, in one of the most bizarre stories to have emerged from the Olympics.



Lochte, whose cool account of confronting armed thieves had gripped America and embarrassed Brazil, has been accused by Rio police of a complete fabrication. Indeed later on Thursday ABC reported that police would seek to indict the gold medallist and another US swimmer, James Feigen, over false reporting of a crime. The charges would not carry the threat of jail time under Brazilian law.

Instead of escaping the clutches of robbers, Lochte, along with fellow competitors Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Feigen, is alleged to have had a minor altercation with a security guard after damaging property at a Rio petrol station.

At a press conference in the seaside district of Leblon, Fernando Veloso, the head of Rio’s civil police, said one of the swimmers had confessed that the story was a lie and blamed Lochte. Veloso said the swimmer told them that Lochte was drunk and stressed, and created the fake story that he then re-told on US television. He did not identify the swimmer. Veloso did not explain why Lochte had given the false story, but said the swimmers were accompanied by two women who had followed in a second car.

Police said no charges have been brought against the athletes yet since the case is still under investigation. But the officials appeared angry with Lochte and his team-mates for allegedly manufacturing the account. Lochte had said a man dressed as a police officer had placed a gun against his head and demanded money during a robbery at a gas station.

Veloso said none of these things happened and the swimmers were not confronted in a violent manner.

“The athletes should apologize for what they have done to the people of Rio,” he said. Such was the enthusiasm of Rio’s police to publicise the truth of the incident that the press conference was moved, fittingly, from a police station to the theatre across the street.

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There, police officially recounted what had slipped out over hours yesterday morning. Lochte and his team-mates were in a taxi in a neighbourhood close to the Olympic park while returning from a part early on Sunday morning. They tried to use a bathroom at a petrol station and ended up vandalising part of the property. The Brazilian news site O Globo reported the athletes forced a bathroom door open, damaged an advertising sign and urinated on the ground.

After getting back into the cab the athletes were confronted by a security guard who asked them to pay for the damage. Veloso said one of the athletes became angry with the guard and at that point the guard pulled a gun on him to “calm him.” He did not say which swimmer had the gun pointed at him and said that the athletes were never threatened. He also said there was no violence. Veloso did not blame the security guard for his actions , saying: “He was doing his job.”

The Brazilian news site O Globo quoted the unnamed owner of the station as complaining of “pure vandalism” saying the swimmers damaged his property after workers at the station asked them to use the bathroom instead of urinating on a wall.

Lochte returned home three days ago, ahead of an order from a judge to have his passport confiscated as the swimmers’ story started to fall apart. Conger and Bentz were removed from a flight to Houston on Wednesday and have been talking to police. Feigen is said to still be in Brazil but has not talked to the police.

The incident is an embarassment for US Olympic officials who have spent a great deal of time instructing their athletes to not offend their Brazilian hosts.

Before the Olympics began, the US’s Chief de Mission, Alan Ashley told The Guardian that the US Olympic committee had former Olympic stars address each US team before Rio, educating them on acceptable and unacceptable behavior while at the Games. They had put an extra emphasis on presenting a good image to the world in Rio where so many other delegations have complained about crime and a lack of preparedness. American officials desperately wanted their athletes to stand in contrast to those from other countries who were overly critical of Brazil. Instead, Lochte becomes the most visible foreigner showing a lack of respect for the host country – urinating, literally, on their wall, then concocting a lie by playing to everybody’s deepest fears about safety.

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Lochte has always been a boisterous presence on the US team. He is a six-time gold medal winner, with 12 overall medals over four Olympics making him one of the most-decorated swimmers in American history. But since his four Olympics have always coincided with those of Michael Phelps, he has always been overshadowed by his teammate.

Lochte’s easy laugh and wild man image earned him countless endorsements from which he is said to have made millions of dollars.He is often mocked for his use of phrases like “bro” and “jeah” and the swimming media look forward to his press conferences, which are often a respite from the more serious Phelps and Katie Ledecky, the winner of four gold medals in Rio.

Three years ago Lochte had a reality show on the E! Network called What Would Ryan Lochte Do? The show was cancelled after an eight-week run in the spring of 2013. He arrived at these Olympics in full character with his hair dyed green.