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| Rio 2016 Olympics: Two US swimmers to leave Rio after 'robbery' row | Rio 2016 Olympics: Two US swimmers to leave Rio after 'robbery' row |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| US swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger are preparing to fly out of Rio de Janeiro after being questioned by Brazilian police over an incident at a petrol station. | US swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger are preparing to fly out of Rio de Janeiro after being questioned by Brazilian police over an incident at a petrol station. |
| They were taken off a plane as they tried to leave Brazil on Wednesday. | They were taken off a plane as they tried to leave Brazil on Wednesday. |
| The pair and their two teammates, Ryan Lochte and James Feigen, are accused of lying by telling officials they were robbed by gunmen on Sunday. | The pair and their two teammates, Ryan Lochte and James Feigen, are accused of lying by telling officials they were robbed by gunmen on Sunday. |
| Lochte has already flown back to the US, while Feigen is still in Brazil. | Lochte has already flown back to the US, while Feigen is still in Brazil. |
| Rio's civil police head Fernando Veloso earlier said the four Olympic gold medallist had not been robbed. | |
| "No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed,'' he said. | |
| He told reporters that one or more of the athletes had instead vandalised a toilet in a petrol station and then offered to pay for the damage. | |
| The Americans paid and left after armed security guards intervened, he said. | The Americans paid and left after armed security guards intervened, he said. |
| One guard had justifiably drawn his gun after one of the swimmers began behaving erratically, Mr Veloso added. | One guard had justifiably drawn his gun after one of the swimmers began behaving erratically, Mr Veloso added. |
| He also warned that the swimmers, who have repeatedly changed their accounts of what happened, could "in theory" face charges of giving false testimony and vandalism. | He also warned that the swimmers, who have repeatedly changed their accounts of what happened, could "in theory" face charges of giving false testimony and vandalism. |
| But later on Thursday, the men's lawyer Sergio Riera said Mr Bentz and Mr Conger had been allowed to leave the country by a special Olympic court. | But later on Thursday, the men's lawyer Sergio Riera said Mr Bentz and Mr Conger had been allowed to leave the country by a special Olympic court. |
| "They are on their way to the airport," Mr Riera said. | "They are on their way to the airport," Mr Riera said. |
| Four views of Ryan Lochte | |
| Slate: | |
| "Maybe he's just a lunk, or a doofus, or a Faulknerian idiot man-child, or the real-world analogue of Moose from Archie. There are all sorts of unflattering descriptors that might apply to Ryan Lochte." | |
| Washington Post: | |
| "There is a special category of obnoxious American 'bro' that Lochte represents, in his T-shirt and jeans and expensive suede footwear, which he showed off on Instagram that night at the party along with the price tag. 'We're 6k deep here,' he captioned it. Is there anything worse, in any country, than a bunch of entitled young drunks who break the furniture and pee on a wall?" | |
| San Francisco Chronicle: | |
| "It doesn't matter what else Lochte has done in his Olympic career. This cemented his legacy: most embarrassing Olympic athlete." | |
| New York Post: | |
| "He cried wolf and was called on it, and that will be his burden to bear for a good long while - but not his alone. The Ugly American is alive and well in 2016 thanks to this dope." | |
| Earlier, a Rio 2016 spokesman had tried to make light of the case. | Earlier, a Rio 2016 spokesman had tried to make light of the case. |
| "These kids tried to have fun, they tried to represent their country to the best of their abilities," Mario Andrada told reporters. | "These kids tried to have fun, they tried to represent their country to the best of their abilities," Mario Andrada told reporters. |
| "They competed under gigantic pressure. Let's give these kids a break. Sometime you take actions that you later regret. | "They competed under gigantic pressure. Let's give these kids a break. Sometime you take actions that you later regret. |
| "They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on." | "They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on." |
| How the story evolved | How the story evolved |
| Sunday 14 August | Sunday 14 August |
| Monday 15 August | Monday 15 August |
| Tuesday 16 August | Tuesday 16 August |
| Wednesday 17 August | Wednesday 17 August |
| Thursday 18 August | Thursday 18 August |
| Who are the swimmers? | Who are the swimmers? |
| Lochte is one of the most successful swimmers in history, with 12 Olympic medals, and he once had his own reality television show in the US. In Rio, he swam in two events, winning gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay along with Conger. | Lochte is one of the most successful swimmers in history, with 12 Olympic medals, and he once had his own reality television show in the US. In Rio, he swam in two events, winning gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay along with Conger. |
| Feigen won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. | Feigen won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. |
| Bentz competed in the 4x200m preliminaries, but not the final. He still received a gold medal after the US team's win. | Bentz competed in the 4x200m preliminaries, but not the final. He still received a gold medal after the US team's win. |