Lochte apologizes, US teammate pays fine for lying to Brazil police

Lochte apologizes, US teammate pays fine for lying to Brazil police

August 20, 2016
US Olympic swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz arrive Friday at the Miami international airport from Rio de Janeiro a day after Brazilian police detained their passports and questioned them. — Reuters
US Olympic swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz arrive Friday at the Miami international airport from Rio de Janeiro a day after Brazilian police detained their passports and questioned them. — Reuters

MIAMI/RIO DE JANEIRO — US Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte issued an apology Friday and his teammate Jimmy Feigen agreed to pay 35,000 reais ($11,000) to a charity after Brazilian police said they lied about being robbed at gunpoint at the weekend.

Lochte, who flew to the United States the day after Sunday's incident, said he should have been more careful and candid in his account, but said it had been traumatic to have a stranger point a gun at him in a foreign country and demand money.

The 32-year-old, one of America's most decorated swimmers and the most outspoken about the incident, had originally said he and three teammates, including Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, were stopped in a taxi on the way back from a party by gunmen posing as police who stole $400 from them.

However, police called this a lie, and Rio's mayor said Friday he had "pity and contempt" for the swimmers.

They said one of the swimmers had vandalized a gas station after the group stopped the taxi there to use a bathroom. The swimmers started an argument with staff at the station, who demanded payment for the damage, police added.

After security video emerged of the incident, the US Olympic Committee admitted an act of vandalism had taken place and apologized for the incident, which had embarrassed the host city, angered the police and government, and dominated news coverage of South America's first Olympics.

"I want to apologize for my behavior of last weekend," Lochte said on his Instagram account.

"Regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that I am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors and the hosts of this great event."

Bentz and Conger arrived in Miami Friday aboard an American Airlines flight from Brazil, having sat in curtained-off seats for much of the journey.
Police had pulled them off a flight Wednesday night for further questioning.

Bentz and Conger said they were not robbed in revised testimony given to police hours before their departure, senior Rio police officer Alexandre Braga told Reuters. Instead, they said Lochte had vandalized a local gas station early Sunday and had an altercation with a security guard.

The three other swimmers in the car tried to leave as quickly as possible because they feared Lochte would cause more damage, G1 said, quoting from the revised testimony.

Bentz and Conger were jeered by angry Brazilians before leaving for Rio airport Thursday, but received support from some other passengers on their flight .

Brazilian Ramos and China’s Chen barred for doping

Brazilian cyclist Kleber Ramos and Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi were disqualified from the Olympic Games Thursday for having failed doping tests, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said.

Ramos tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO Cera while Chen took the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide.

Diuretics are outlawed as they can be used as masking agents for other doping products.

The Brazilian tested positive in a pre-Games test, although the news only emerged after he had competed in the men’s road race 10 days ago.

Chen tested positive after finishing fourth in the women’s 100m butterfly on August 7, and was scratched from the 50m freestyle with her case still pending.

In both cases, CAS said “the athlete is disqualified and excluded from the Olympic Games Rio 2016.”

CAS said it was up to the International Cycling Union (UCI) and International Swimming Federation (FINA) to decide on the athletes’ punishments following the Games.

Earlier on Thursday, CAS said Kyrgyzstani weightlifter Izzat Artykov had been banned after testing positive for strychnine, a stimulant.

The 22-year-old, who won bronze in the under-69kg division, became the first athlete excluded from the Rio Olympics for doping.


August 20, 2016
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