Over the weekend, Ryan Lochte claimed he was mugged at gunpoint in Rio. Lochte was traveling and partying with other swimmers, and they left the Olympic village to celebrate a friend’s birthday. While traveling by taxi back to the Olympic village, Lochte claimed the taxi was stopped by armed gunmen who took his wallet and left his phone. Lochte contacted his mom initially, and he and the other swimmers somehow made their way back to the Olympic village. Lochte even told his story to Billy Bush, and he seemed like he was still in shock.
I believed Lochte’s story because A) it seemed like a pretty believable story and B) um, why would Lochte lie? And C) Lochte isn’t the brightest bulb, but he’s not a chronic liar and fabricator. If anything, I would say his lack of intelligence means he’s probably telling the truth, that he is incapable of making up that kind of story. In any case, he had no reason to lie and I don’t understand why people would doubt his story at all. Still, the International Olympic Committee has been doing damage control about a number of issues in Rio, and at first the IOC flat-out denied that the robbery happened, then they begrudgingly admitted that something happened and that Lochte and the other swimmers were “working with authorities.” Well, guess what? The Rio police “have found no evidence” that the incident occurred. Uh-huh.
Police in Rio say they’ve found no evidence supporting Ryan Lochte’s claim that he and three other swimmers were robbed at gunpoint while in the Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games, according to the Associated Press.
The 32-year-old Olympian told NBC that he and his fellow athletes were held up after robbers posing as police officers pulled them over in a taxi. But police have not been able to find their taxi driver or witnesses, and they say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews, the AP reports. The United States Olympic Committee confirmed the incident in a statement and two sources with the U.S. Team confirmed to PEOPLE that Lochte was robbed, but had no additional details.
“Everything’s up in the air now,” the source said. “But we know that something happened last night and that it really shook Ryan up.”
Lochte’s lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, told the AP that there was no doubt that the robbery happened and Lochte hadn’t been leaving his hotel room since.
“This happened the way he described it,” Ostrow said. “Ryan was a hundred percent cooperative and fully available when they reached out to us for an interview.” He added: “It doesn’t behoove Ryan and anyone else to make up a story.”
I know this is a terrible thought, but isn’t this what female victims go through every day? It’s so shocking when it happens to a man – no one believes his story, the police are uncooperative, everyone is second-guessing the victim and going through his story for contradictions. When really, isn’t this just a case of the police not giving a sh-t and trying to bury this story? Just because the Rio police have found “no evidence,” does that negate Lochte’s experience?
USA Today has a lengthy take on what happened after the robbery with Lochte and the US Olympic bureaucracy – go here to read. Lochte didn’t initially go to the Rio police and the USOC because he thought he would get into trouble, I guess for being outside of the Olympic village (which is not a requirement of athletes, by the way). People keep describing Lochte as really “shaken up,” which is just further proof (to me) that he’s telling the truth.
Update: TMZ has a story claiming that Brazilian authorities have a video of Lochte and his friends returning to the Olympic village and they don’t look shaken up, which proves what exactly? Apparently, Brazilian police want to confiscate Lochte’s passport too, only Lochte is already back in America. This whole story is so weird.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
The cameras inside the Olympic Center show Lochte & friends arriving with all their belongings, includind the credencials they claimed to be taken by the muglers. They also arrived three hours later than the time they said they arrived to the police and said they couldn’t remember the color of the cab they were in: all cabs in Rio are yellow.
How were they mugged if the robbers took nothing?
Hmmm. I was pretty sure Ryan said the thieves let them keep their phones and credentials.
Yea they kept their phones, medals and credentials. Probably because those are easily traceable
Came to say the same thing. As I recall, the muggers were only interested in the wallets and cash. Given that many phones now have GPS locators, phones can be an issue.
Goats is correct. He said they took his cash and wallet. Left his credentials and cell phone. I agree with Kaiser. Why would he lie?? What motivation would he have for lying? On the other hand though, I can think of a huge motivation for both the Rio police and the IOC to make everyone think he’s lying…
I agree.
especially if the “fake police” that robbed them were not, in fact, “fake”.
Yeah, I don’t think the “fake” police were at all fake. Police corruption is a huge problem in Brazil.
Maybe they were robbed by prostitutes and don’t want to give the full details. Or they were gambling and betting on Olympic outcomes and were robbed but they don’t want to tell the whole truth. His story is fishy–they were just approached by some random men who were not in a police car yet the cab stopped for them? Yeah, some parts of it don’t add up, but he was likely either robbed or intimidated/threatened by someone or some thing.
–TheRealPinky
If the IOC police are anything like the Fifa World Cup police, they are not to be trifled with. They don’t play when someone commits a crime in relation to their events. The Fifa courts during the South African World Cup were swift and fierce.
Maybe the cab driver was in on it and that’s why he pulled over. Maybe the cab driver picks up tourist from nightclubs so that his partners can rob them. Maybe that’s why the cab driver hasn’t come forth. Why wouldn’t they rob the cab driver as well? He most likely gets paid in cash.
I’m just speculating like some on this thread is doing. I believe Lochte and his friends were robbed by somebody. I heard him say out his own mouth that they gave them back their credentials and phones.
Cab was in on it – pull up to a fancy venue, and get folks with cash to burn to rob. Pretty typical scam. I said this on yesterday’s thread, but there are a ton of taxi scams out there. What’s more likely: that Ryan Lochte made up some random story about being robbed and told his mom (because remember, the only reason this came out is because his mom confirmed it) or the IOC is desperately trying to cover up a superstar Olympian being robbed coming home from a fancy party? It’s not like they had to come up with a lie to explain missing credentials, phones, etc. Why on earth make up this story? And do we really think it’s more likely that 4 swimmers come up with some random lie, or that Rio is crime riddled with police that are likely apathetic to the tourists and overwhelmed and the IOC is frantically trying to cover it’s butt for taking the world’s elite athletes, sponsors, families, and fans somewhere unsafe?
I’m with Pinky. He is probably lying about what he was really up to which in turn makes it seem like his lying about the incident. They probably asked their cab driver to take them to a Red Light district and they don’t want the cab driver found because Ryan would lose endorsement deals and be humilated if it got out. Unfortunately, they told people what had happened before they could think it through so they are stuck in the half truth. In the early moments, somebody in their camp tried to deny it to the IOC which is the reason for those initial statements but they clearly werent on the same page.
That was my first thought when this broke. That it wasn’t fake police but real police and now they’re embarrassed by the incident so they need to discredit and silence their victims.
The IOC has been trying to bury this, and they’ve been not-so-subtly implying that the men went to a brothel and that’s how they were robbed. And we all know how truthful and above board the IOC is.
Its not a far fetched theory at all. I didnt know that was the authorities suspicion but that was my first thought too. They were up to something sketchy, were either conned or mugged in the process, told people who leaked the info before they could properly think their story through. Now they have to standby it while making sure that actual witnesses can never be found. Kevin Spacey did it in London 15 years ago and eventually confessed that he had lied; it happens.
It’s also not farfetched that a cab picked up people from an exclusive nightlife spot knowing they’d have $$$ on them to rob. That could easily be why they can’t find the driver, and it’s not like cab scams aren’t incredibly common.
He’s totally lying. I’m from Rio and no mugger would let them keep phones and watches. They would even take his shoes or anything else they thought was valuable. Plus he said he left the place at 4 a.m. and only arrived at 7 a.m. (it would take only one hour for them to get there). Plus how did they get there if the cab they took was stopped? Did they continue in that cab or did they take another? His story has A LOT of inconsistencies
But why lie about being robbed? I don’t see any reason for that.
And it’s like some are saying, the fake cops, were not fake cops but actually real cops. Cops are not going to keep cell phones knowing they could be traced. And were they wearing watches? Did he say they let them keep his watch as well? Or did they only take cash?
Eh. I don’t really buy that, sorry. Rio has been lurching from one nightmare to the next in these Olympics. I think it’s far more likely that the IOC / Rio police are trying to bury the story.
yeah, they are “trying to bury it”. that’s why they asked to aprehend Ryan Lochte’s passport today. And guess what? He’s already left the country. Lying to the police is a crime and he knows it.
Muglers is my new favorite word.
At this point I don’t care either way if it happened or not. I want our olympians home safe. This is so out of control. I am outraged that another country would go as far to seize passports. To stop a plane and remove two of our gold olympians from a plane. All they were trying to do is come home. I hope all of our olympians get the heck out of there safe. I you tubed Rio and its all over social media the crime that is happening there right now. I am really getting worried.
Why wouldn’t it be true? I’m just having a hard time understanding why he would make up a lie like this? Furthermore, with all the issues surrounding the Rio and the Olympics, I’m more inclined to believe that they’re (piss poorly) attempting damage control.
Exactly. This is a simple guy who has nothing to gain by lying about his experience. What is the point of lying about it? Also, he left the country yesterday, rather than stay to enjoy the rest of the Olympics, which means he was in a hurry to get out of there, indicating he was uncomfortable or scared, which is the appropriate reaction when someone holds a gun to your head.
Maybe he left because he lied to the police and didn’t want to face the consequences of that. They issued a mandate for his passport today, but he’s already fled the country
I agree,
Anyone having doubt’s about his story should go and watch the Real Sports episode on the IOC and what all these countries do for them and you’ll understand
Damage control by issuing warrants for the alleged victims? It just brings more attention to the whole thing. Something shady is going on for sure.
I just read a story about this on the NYT and surprisingly the main FB commenter narrative seems to be that he is lying, all the guys are lying. Either to save face because they were caught with women or they were trying to buy drugs or both. So many people apparently think it’s a lie, I’m shocked.
Yeah, it seems super far-fetched to me that whoever mugged them would not take their cellphones, their Olympic credentials, and passports. They would simply take everything, especially the documents so they could use them to create fake copies and sell them. It doesn’t matter that phones have GPS, they can easily find a way around that too. And their fancy watches, belt, tennis shoes? They would have taken everything. I don’t doubt that he was mugged, I just believe that it was in some embarrassing situation he would rather not discuss. None of this is helped by the fact that Rio police is probably also trying to bury this.
So it’s either a combination of half-truths from either side, or Ryan was robbed by the most incompetent thief in Rio.
Considering he was robbed by people posing as cops I’m not surprised by the cover up. Rio has been one disaster after another
Maybe they weren’t posing as cops you know….
That too
I believe his story. The Olympics should never have been held in a third world country, not to offend any Brazilians here but if a country can’t properly care for its own citizens it has no place trying to care for these athletes and pay for such an event.
In saying that the IOC is corrupt and needs to be audited and investigated by an outside party immediately, just look at what’s happening in the boxing circle with the rigged fights. I’m so disgusted by the Olympics this year
I believe him as well but for heaven’s sake, Brazil is not a “third world country”. Muggings happen in all large cities and common sense dictates that you keep your wits about you if you go out at night, and any time you’re in a foreign country (any country) you lie low and don’t draw attention to yourself. Ryan Lochte looks and acts like a very typical American and no doubt made himself a very easy target. Police will feel the same way which is why they’re not being overly helpful, they’ve got more important things to worry about than some braindead yank acting a fool and getting himself in trouble by doing so.
So robbing “braindead yanks” is OK? And being in a cab is “acting a fool”?
Their cab was stopped by “police”, it’s not like they were pickpocketed at Copacabana.
Ah yes. Let’s blame the victim for looking like a “stupid yank.”
Smdh
That’s so ridiculous of you to say. Americans go on vacation all over Europe and in Canada but they don’t have the issues that are occurring in Rio now. As a tourist you should be able to go out and enjoy yourself without fear of being robbed, what’s the point of visiting another country and laying low in a hotel room, may as well stay home.
Again why I called Brazil a third world country, okay maybe developing is a better word to use, and why they never should have hosted the Olympics; because incidents like this are really prevalent in countries with a poor struggling population, but are very low in a developed nations (ie Western Europe and Canada).
Didn’t you know being born in the US makes us all bad, you guys? We all must repent for the crime of being Yanks!!!
Seriously, I think people like Starkiller are hilarious. It must feel amazing to be that confident in one’s superiority, infallibility and all-knowingness.
I’ve been to a lot of countries, and I never felt so unsafe as I did in Brazil. For heaven’s sake, we were warned not to use our phones IN A CAR because someone could stop by next to the car, smash the window and steal it. That would never happen in any other country. I don’t care what anyone says, Brazil is just bad news
How was he acting a fool? They were getting a cab. I believe him. Of course, the cops there are going to deny it, they don’t want it to have an impact on tourism. Ridiculous. I feel bad for him.
Which country in the world properly takes care of it’s citizens? We’d never have an Olympics if that was a qualifying criteria for the host city. Also, although the IOC is all sorts of dodgy, the boxing judges and referees are governed by the IBA (AIBA), so really any corruption or bad practice is not the direct responsibility of the IOC.
Developed nations like Canada, USA and western European nations, sure have issues, but as a whole don’t have the issues that countries like Brazil do. These nations as a whole have the infrastructure and let alone the money to host events like the Olympics, not to mention they have a very low crime rate and wouldn’t have the worry about the athletes being robbed left right and center.
Yes the IBA governs boxing event as of 2016 but lets not forget that the President of the AIBA is Dr. CK Wu who served as an executive board member of the IOC before his cushy new title. They’re all in cahuts with each other.
Hmm. Last I checked, the US can’t care for its own citizens, judging by the homelessness rates, poverty rates, etc….
Anyway, I’m going to ask someone who is there what the word on the street is about this Lochte story and get back to you all….
–TheRealPinky
Yeah, Pinky, when I read that my first thought was, “Wow, those Scandinavian countries are going to be THRILLED to find out they get all the Olympics Games forever!”
Well, if you want safety, come to the Balkans. A study done by the UN shows us as being one of the safest regions in the world when it comes to street crime. Seriously. If only we had the money to put on something as big as the Olympics, I’d certainly like to experience it.
But really, most big countries have their issues, especially with poverty and violence. Countries like the US are just better at putting a nice shiny front.
@Locke Lamora It would be great to have a games in the Balkans. Maybe it can be co-sponsored why another country that gets some benefit by helping cover the cost. Tourism flexibility and discounts? Something political but not sketchy (who knows that that could be). But it’s a shame it’s all the same players, though the Olympics in general is a money suck and doesn’t benefit the host country much, at all. In fact, it can lead to financial devastation. (See Greece.)
–TheRealPinky
Brazil is not a third world country. It has been considered an emerging market for a while now (look up the term BRIC countries). More importantly, looking at the international economic system, it is easy to see that the “first world” has propped itself up on the disenfranchisement of poorer nations and their people. This is both a historic and current structure. There’s much more to be said on this economically, but I’m typing from my phone.
Now that I’m back at a keyboard, I want to elaborate. Brazil (and the rest of the BRIC countries) are going through a period of economic slow down, but they aren’t necessarily part of the “least developed countries” which, as people have pointed out, used to be called “third world” countries. The term is now defunct in academic and policy circles as it is largely considered neo-colonial discourse. While Brazil is not comparable to the developed countries in terms of many OECD indicators, it does still have a considerable amount of infrastructure and resources. Furthermore, these indicators mask many problems in developed nations due to the aggregation (such as homelessness, injustice, racism, etc). This is not to say that there is no difference in institutions, infrastructure, and resources in these developed countries; however, I dislike (and caution) statements that have undertones of colonialism, hierarchy, and homogenization (even if unintended). As stated in the original post, this is not least because, developing countries aren’t having economic issues by accident. Capitalism, as it is (and has been) practiced, does not simply “create” winners and losers, it “requires” them. It is based on the disenfranchisement of subgroups of the population. When developed nations created rules and regulation that didn’t allow the exploitation of our poor, we outsourced our needs. In terms of the U.S., we certainly exploit our poor in different (read: updated) ways…prison-industrial complex, anyone???
@HH Yours is a brilliant post that everyone should read.
–TheRealPinky
@Pinky – Thanks. I’m do Political Science and International Relations so this stuff is important to me. In the nerdiest, most caring way possible. LOL.
@Lucy and @Starkiller – Brazil is defined as a developing country based on its GDP, infant mortality rate, poverty rate, etc.
The term “third world nation” is the language of white colonialists. “Developing country” is the correct term.
Actually “third world nation” refers to Cold War Terminology – The US and their Allies were the “First World”, Russia and the other Communist Nations (such as Cuba – 2nd world country! not 3rd world!) were the “Second World” and everyone else who was like “keep me out of this pls!” was the “Third World” so it really, properly, has to do with Communism and who you sided with in the Cold War, generally speaking the countries that were not part of these alliances were at that time less economically developed, so that is a factor, but now people take it to mean something different. Just saying…
I’m sorry Lucy but given the amount of shite and homlessness and gun violence in so many other “first world” countries, the Olympics would have to be held in Mars.
Also – Brazil is not a 3rd world country, it’s a developing country. Only colonialists refer to “third world countries”.
s.
I have no doubt this happened! It’s Rio for petes sake. It’s so beyond dangerous. A few days before the Olympics a head and an arm were found in the water by where the Olympics were going to be. It was on the international news. My dad said that area is so dangerous. He’s x military. Ryan is probably realizing he could have been shot, and died while nobody ever knew what happened to him!!! They might not have even found his body. That’s a terrifying thought.
He wasn’t the only one robbed, there were people with him. Why are they making him the poster boy for the robbery? Why would he lie about being robbed? Even if he and his mates were doing something they shouldn’t have been doing, it seems claiming to be robbed would be a really bad way to get out of it. Especially knowing the press it would get, wouldn’t the story unravel pretty fast? Wouldn’t it have been better to claim car trouble of some sort if he was making up a story? Just seems odd they are pushing so hard to prove this was a lie. With all the shadiness going on in Rio, it doesn’t surprise me they are trying to cover it up.
Yeah, why would he and three other guys all make up a lie about this? A conspiracy to cast aspersions on the safety of Rio de Janeiro? His story is totally believable. Right down to him trying to argue with the fake police officer.
He is the poster boy because he is a celebrity. Three random people held up in Brazil isn’t going to make international news.
He is being made the poster boy because it was his mother who told the press about the robbery. Only 2 of the 4 involved filed official statements with the police after it happened. If they did lie it will come out soon enough. The other 2 will turn and maybe even the one who is still in Brazil without a passport. That is a big if.
I believe it.
I’ve traveled all around Brazil. In any of the larger cities (rio included) we wouldn’t even stop at intersections after dark. The local who I was with would simply slow down a bit and honk his horn a couple of times. When I asked why, he explained that it was too dangerous to completely stop, as muggers would rush cars with guns drawn quite often.
I had a friend who attended Temple U in Philly, and there are parts of Philly where you don’t stop at intersections after dark. pass through exactly as you described.
The area around Temple University is definitely on the upswing from a low place, but to be fair to Philly, on side streets in all neighborhoods, we tend to slow at stop signs and honk for safety and keep on going, day or night. We have traffic light cameras now and they generated over 12 million $ from tickets last year. So yeah, some Philly neighborhoods are dangerous, but at the same time, we tend to scoff at intersection laws city-wide. 🙂
I really hope it’s gotten better as 12 years ago I refused a scholarship from Temple solely based on where they force freshmen to live. In dorms so far away from the main campus in such an unsafe area that you have to be bused back and forth for safety. No thanks.
If that’s the case, could the cab driver be in on it? That would explain why he stopped and would also explain why the authorities claim they can’t find him now.
Man if this is really how it is (only been to Porto Alegre for Senior Spring Break while in secondary school) then I’m really glad I live in Buenos Aires, where you can walk the streets alone at 2 am.
Zagreb too. I walked home on my own at 3 am just yesterday. When you get so used to feeling completely safe anywhere at any time, hearing about stories like this really sends chills down my spine.
I’ve heard that corruption is rampant among the police there. I’m sure that not all are, but it is a problem . There’s been a lot of issues in Rio with the Olympics . I’m sure it’s a lovely country , but maybe it wasn’t ready for the Olympics .
Of course he didn’t want to go to the authorities, with the way the IOC has been trying their best to suppress any news of crime in Rio.
Wasn’t there another athlete who was robbed a few days before Ryan and he said essentially the same thing (robbers were in police uniforms, took money not phones etc)? I don’t remember the IOC denying his claim so why is Ryan a liar???!
Ryan is high profile. I’m sure that other athlete got mugged, but the fact that we don’t even know his name means the press didn’t pick up on the story. That’s great for the IOC. Ryan on the other hand can dye his hair and there’ll be a piece about it on CNN. And this is just hair! A mugging that was done against him, if verified, would only add to the “Rio was not ready stories”, and turn up the heat on the IOC for picking it and possibly endangering thousands of athletes.
I think it was some judo athlete from an Eastern European country. Lynnie is right on the mark.
There have been rumors that the IOC has been applying pressure to keep news of muggings/crime quiet. Note that they initially denied the Lochte incident happened.
Some reporters were caught in a cartel/drug crossfire before the Olympics. Allegedly, it seems the majority of Rio police and some branch of the military is monitoring the Olympics, removing their presence from favelas, where these scum live.
I feel sad that those who live in favelas are unprotected.
It’s an interesting point that Lochte is being treated like many women who report sexual assaults.
Thanks, jferber, for picking up on what I consider to be a more important aspect of the story. He’s being denied his own experience. It’s crazy-making. gh
I commented on this a the other day, hoping that the general empathy for robbery crime victims could be extended to rape victims/survivors. Not in my wildest nightmares did I imagine that the disregard and disbelief of a crime victims would extend instead. This is alarming and frightening.
Madeleine McCann and her parents. Little girl abducted, parents not believed, never found the girl, all happened in Portugal.
It’s Rio.
I believe the athletes.
what? What does Portugal has to do with Rio??? Rio is in Brazil, not Portugal.
Same culture.
Are you for real? Not even all southamerica share the same culture, and you think Brazil and Portugal do?
I need a brazilian here to explain this for us.
Boo –
If you are referring to a shared language, while Portuguese is the language spoken in Brazil it actually has important differences from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal.
As for their cultures, I can not say strongly enough, NOT the same culture AT ALL.
I respectfully encourage you to do some reading/research.
Girl, What are you talking?
Portugal is an EUROPEAN country! In Iberian Peninsula! Close to Spain!
Rio is a CITY in Brazil- South America!
Educate yourself!
You really need a map and books to read about each country.
Ignorant comment.
Damn… Not even brazilian portuguese and european portuguese are the same language, why would brazilian and portuguese cultures be? Brazilian culture is so mixed that it’s became unique. More than having a big influence from portuguese culture, it’s the largest italian colony outside Italy, the largest japanese colony outside Japan, one of the largest german colonies outside Germany, not to mention the Spanish, French, Dutch, Native American and African influences. One doesn’t have to know all about every single culture in the world, so it would be cool to avoid such comments if you don’t really know much about it. 😉
Why would Lochte lie, and also arrange to share this lie with THREE other swimmers? Even if Lochte was willing to go to bizarre lengths to be an attention-hound, why would three other guys also go along with this story? Rio is trying to make this go away.
He and the other swimmers have no reason to lie. IOC and the US Swimming Federation have every reason to try and shut them up though so I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to drag Lochte through the mud.
I think this is so important. Why would he lie? And why would three other guys enter into a conspiracy with Ryan, who no one would ever choose as a mastermind or spokesman. Also, he has so much to lose if his sponsors thought he was lying and canceled his contracts on grounds of moral turpitude. The authorities say they could find no evidence to prove the mugging happened. But they could find none to prove it didn’t happen either. The judge thought the guys were joking around with each other on the video when they returned to the village. I would say the opposite. I thought they looked pretty quiet. In the end I believe the guys. I also think the Brazilian authorities were embarrassed and decided to “prove” it didn’t happen. How many victims are likely to come forward now after seeing how these guys were treated. Everyone will just want to get home safely, and this judge, and the cops, managed to give their country horrible p.r.
I feel for Lochte. I have no doubt he’s telling the truth. Robbers often leave cellphones now because they are so easy to track with GPS, etc. and I can understand why they wouldn’t steal their medals because they would be impossible to unload. Also, the IOC is notoriously corrupt so they have everything invested in shutting him up.
I don’t want to doxx myself so I’ll be vague….but I was born in an island nation that has a “safer” reputation than Brazil and is a tourist hub….and yet it is not really that safe unless you live in the richest neighborhoods. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that the cops hush a lot of the crime up because they are fearful of it influencing the tourism industry and scaring off the rich white folks. We moved to the US when I was very little but I spent a lot of summers in my home country and I became very aware of the privilege I had of being “safe” by living in the US. Unless you grew up in one of the worst inner-city neighborhoods, it’s something hard to explain or understand if you live in a first world country…. and even then it’s not really comparable. For example, my uncle once had a cop pull him over and rob him at gunpoint and when he spoke back the cop pistol whipped him. I have no doubt that Brazil is somewhat similar.
Edited: It’s also known in my home country that you can’t really trust taxi drivers after dark and taxis often “conspire” to rob tourists (aka they are pulled over by a robber and the robber later splits the profits with the taxi driver). So that part rang especially true, especially when they couldn’t find the taxi driver.
Just curious, what country are you from? I went to Barbados and found it very safe.
Barbados is mostly safe as far as I know but even they probably have their trouble spots. I’m originally from Trinidad, although to be fair it has become safer in the past few years. I probably sound a bit dramatic since I go out by myself all the time during the day when I’m there and I party with my cousins sometimes during the night. My point is there are certain things I take for granted in the US, like grabbing a taxi at night or feeling relatively safe if I stay out until 2 am with friends, which are nowhere near the same back in Trinidad.
“Hub” was probably the wrong word to use. The tourism industry has been increasing dramatically to both Trinidad and Tobago though, especially cruise ships, and they really don’t want to scare off the cruise ship companies.
Oh yeah I’ve heard about Trinidad being unsafe. I think though when you visit other countries like Brazil you have to realize you aren’t in the US or Canada anymore and must take precautions. I’m thinking Rio might not be so bad if one were to take precautions- leave iPhone at home, don’t have expensive jewelry, don’t go out at night. Heard about a woman from my city (Calgary) that did this in Rio this past week and was totally fine.
I’ve been in Rio for the last two weeks and have seen no issues at all. There’s a significant army presence all over the city, and I’ve been traveling between the stadiums, through slums as a single female traveler and had zero issues. The media is definitely reporting a more extreme version of what is seen here. Rio had its issues, as do a lot of cities (I say that as an Aussie living in Chicago), but the Brazilians are doing a wonderful job and that should be recognized.
That’s really nice to hear. I have to say, all this media hype about how horrible Brazil is doing screams “ugly american” to me.
I feel the same way, as do my friends (mix of Argentians, Brazilians, Singaporeans and Brits. The vibe is great here – the locals are so stoked to show off their city, and so many of them are working as volunteers at the different events (my local friend couldn’t hire enough people to work!). I’m sure there are issues happening, but I would imagine that would be the case in any city/country the Games are held in. The American media has a lot to answer for (the Aussie media isn’t much better either), but it’s in no way the sh*t storm my US friends are texting me about.
Yeah, I call bs. Lochte was robbed, and the police/IOC have very good reason to want to bury the story. Plus he wasn’t alone, and this isn’t the first time in Rio that an athlete’s been mugged.
I feel bad for him. He is not leaving his room, probably having some kind of PTSD from having a gun to his head. I hope he does not have any other races to do at this point.
He is not in Rio anymore. He has already left.
I’m Brazilian and I was watching the news and they’ve said that the local police are working along the FBI. So I don’t really think that this is the final say on what happened… I don’t know, but if the FBI is really involved I don’t think that they would just let it go an important issue like this!
I believe it. Rio/Brazil, bless it, doesn’t exactly have a reputation as a safe place. This wasn’t an isolated incident.
“American Olympic champion swimmer Ryan Lochte became the latest victim of Rio’s street crime early Sunday morning when he was robbed at gunpoint after attending a party. That follows robberies of representatives from Portugal, China, Australia, Russia, and even an attempted mugging on the chief of security for the Games outside the opening ceremony, which ended with a bodyguard shooting and killing the assailant.
Olympic officials have found two bullets that tore through a media tent at the equestrian center and reporters claim their bus was shot at while driving along a highway from a basketball arena.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/14/rio-olympics-muggings-brazil-tourism-woes/88719804/
Did a little research and turns out SEVERAL athletes have been mugged so Rio denying Ryan is straight up corrupt BS.
Australian Paralympian Liesl Tesch was mugged 6/21 – Australia demanded better security for athletes
Jason Lee of New Zealand, the athlete I mentioned in my previous post, was mugged 7/25
Yevgeny Korotyshkin, Russia, was mugged 8/11
PLUS officials have gotten mugged too.
They need to stop denying and start addressing it – especially since it started even before the games did.
Story denied by the IOC? Time for Lochte to use Twitter as a megaphone. Unless he feels pressure to not speak out for fear of negatively affecting his chances at Tokyo 2020. This definitely sounds like a coverup but really interesting to compare it to what some women go through when reporting crimes. I believe Lochte. Why don’t the other swimmers speak up??
Why indeed? That is the million dollar question. At this point they will probably subpoena the other swimmers who did not respond to their request for an interview. If story is made up it will unravel quickly.
To say there is no evidence is bullsh*t. Lochte and co’s statements ARE EVIDENCE. Even if they have not identified a suspect or have any surveillance footage, a victim’s statements are evidence that the incident occurred. Since the authorities have nothing to go on but what the swimmers have told them (assuming the police took statements), there is actually a complete lack of evidence that this did NOT occur. Even if there is not going to be a suspect to arrest or put on trial, try to discredit these guys in order to mitigate the bad P.R. is too little, too late in light of all the other bad press.
I am really shocked with some comments here! I agree that Brazil wasn’t ready to the Olympics, but what we can do now? IMO, they are doing a great job even with the limitations! It’s a beautiful and lovely country!
About Lochte, at first I believed in this story, but after reading and watching the security footage of him and his friends after the robberry, they were joking around and even laughing. Weird. But let’s wait and see!
PS: Sorry, English it’s not my first language 😉
No one in Brazil is saying is wasn’t robbed. Heaven knows that happens more often than not, so when the news first broke everyone was beyond ashamed. Actually, police’s response so far has been faster and more efficient than usual (of course, they are trying to impress our visitors).
However, some details just don’t add up. Coming from personal experience, it’s not that commom for robbers to leave cellphones. They take it and then, if it’s not useful or it mught be traced, they try to sell it quickly or just dump it somewhere. Same with clothes, documents, etc.
The timeline described by the swimmers is also off. And that kind of robbery doesn’t usually happen in that part of the city.
I do think they were robbed. I’m not trying to defend Brazil or its police. I just don’t think it was the way they described. Maybe they were in another part of the city? Maybe with some other people they were not supposed to be? I don’t know.
I’d like to make another comment, though. Here at Celebitchy we all proud ourselves of being a smart, well informed community. Sometimes I like the comment section better than the report itself. To see so many uninformed, prejudiced views of Brazil made me sad. We have serious, serious problems. But the whole world has problems.
Apparently it is easier to beat up someone who is already down than to take a look at ourselves. We’re not worse people nor we have worse culture (and definitely not the same as Portugal, for instance) because we’re a poorer country. Journalists and people in general expect things to go south just because is an easier story to tell, the stereotype is already there – the same happened in South Africa’s World Cup.
If you ask me, I believe that we shouldn’t be hosting Olympics because we could have better use of that money, because IOC is a leech that gives nothing in exchange to the countries or the athlets, because richer cities (Athens, Montreal) struggled with hosting an Olympic years later. But not because we are not “cultured” enough to host it.
This plus a million! To read so many prejudiced and uninformed comments hurts.
I was born and raised in Buenos Aires and have never been robbed, touched, molested, insulted, etc in my life.
However I had my passport and cash stolen in Spain. I also had cash stolen in London.
No city or country is perfect nor free of crime, but it seems most people just expect to be killed the moment they set foot in our cities.
THIS! You said exactly what I wanted to say! I’m really shocked with some comments here, people need to read more! Ps: My mother is Brazilian! I LOVE the country! 😀
About Lotche, I just saw the security footage of him and his friends at the athletes’ village after the robbery, and they are laughing and joking. Super weird. But let’s wait and see!
@PG
I love your comment.
@Beatrice
I agree their behaviour might seem weird, but maybe that’s just a way of coping? I often have what might be considered inappropriate reactions (laughing/joking when I’m injured as a way of coping and not falling apart) so I can sympathise!
There are a lot of prejudiced comments towards Brazil in the media as of late but I feel like a lot of Americans, even with the police problems in the states, have a hard time grasping the idea that a cop will rob motorists and so they tend to disbelieve these sort of stories. I’m sure most Brazilians do believe Lochte but the media is spinning this as if he’s a liar for some reason. Also, the Brazilian culture is amazing and nobody should be looking down their nose at it.
I agree. I was living in South Africa during the world cup and the picture the international press painted of the country was so far from reality it was incredible.
As to this story, poor Ryan is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. I can see someone else concocting this story to cover something embarrassing up and him going along with it because #Jeah!.
I’m from the U.S. but have traveled extensively in the developed and developing worlds (many countries much, much less developed and “scarier” than Brazil) and crime can happen anywhere. I agree that Rio shouldn’t have hosted the Games – but not because Rio or Brazil “can’t handle it” but because the IOC is corrupt AF and takes way more than it gives, every time, everywhere. I was in Atlanta for the ’96 Games, which were, you know, bombed, so no Americans have any right to be pointing fingers at Brazil on the issue of safety.
Lochte’s story does seem weird, but honestly…I’ve known lots of sketchy things to happen to friends and colleagues all over the world. Every city, including my own, has its own breed of scam artists, crooks, and corrupt officials, and anywhere you go there’s someone working an angle. I don’t see how he has any motivation to lie, but the IOC for sure does. Team #jeah. But also, team Brasil.
I don’t agree that the bomb in Atlanta is the same thing as the cones about day to day safety. And I don’t think Rio should have gotten the Olympics – not on the basis of crime, so much as the money required for the Olympics, both in obtaining them in the first place and in building the new venues and infrastructure that is required by the IOC, could have been much better spent elsewhere in Rio. There are stories from plenty of previous host cities of expensive stadiums and venues standing vacant, a monument to millions of dollars spent and little gained back. There was a lot that Rio could have done to prepare for the Olympics that would have been far more of a benefit to the people AND prepare for the games (sanitation immediately comes to mind). Hosting the Olympics nowadays is something that’s only done by those that are comfortable dealing with extreme corruption, whether it’s Rio, Tokyo, London, Sochi.
@pg
Thank you for this comment.
<3
@pg Great comment.
–TheRealPinky
I find it hard to believe the muggers did not take their phones, especially if they’re iPhones. Those things are easy to sell and deactivate so it’s untraceable. Same with any other item of value. You might think this is how muggers behave in the US or across Europe, but in Latin American cities muggers will take everything of value from you. I have an iPhone and when I’m walking the streets of Buenos Aires I never use it or take it out of my pocket, and I’ve never been mugged in my life. We live different realities, that’s all I’m saying. I guess Rio is so much worse than Buenos Aires, but I also never heard of muggers pointing guns at you to steal cash.
I don’t know why he would lie, so I’m not going to call him a liar, but this smells funny. And yes, I do believe the police and the Olympic whatever would want to bury this, or at least diminish the incident.
If it’s an easy cab scam, I can see them just taking the cash. Depends on different variables.
And that can happen anywhere in the world.
I was in Prague two times last year and I got the same advice everywhere – “do not get into any cab. And if you do, make sure you ask for the fare in advance. Good luck if you don’t.”
Much easier for the robbers to take the cash and leave behind anything that could be traced back to the robbery.
No, that’s not how it works over here. I’ve talked with people who have lived in Rio, who have gone there on holidays. If you get mugged they take your mobile phones too, especially if they’re iPhones. This is why this story smells funny to me.
After watching video of tourists being robbed in broad daylight by young men in Rio, I believe him. Why would he lie about it? He even said they were afraid to say anything because they didn’t want to get in to trouble. Why would he lie to his mother about it? The IOC wants it covered up.
Real cops robbing people happens in the USA, in Rio the police could be trying to protect their own people.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/memphis-cop-convicted-of-robbing-people-while-on-duty/213379/
As a long time reader of this site, it makes me sad to see so much prejudice and lack of information regarding Brasil.
Do we have problems? Yes we do. Undeniable. Is urban violence an issue? Yes. Is there inequality? Yes. But I cant even begin to imagine what it is that you people believe Brasil is.
You’d be surprised to see the amount of wealth there is in Rio, São Paulo, Brasília and other Capitals of Brasil. The most expensive real estate in all Latin America is in Rio. In the South Zone of Rio, in neighbourhoods such as Leblon, Ipanema, Lagoa, jardim Botânico, you will have trouble trying to find a decent apartament for less than a million dollars. In the best part of these neighbourhoods, the best houses and apartments cost way more than that.
There are investment banks in Brasil. Gigantic corporations. A financial market. SUVs, Audis and BMWs on the streets. There are Big Burberry, Louis Vouitton, Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Dolce and Gabanna stores in Rio.
There are excellent restaurants in Brasil. Universities. Movie Theaters. Malls. Museums. Art Galleries. Night clubs.
The cost of living in Rio and São Paulo is super high.
This idea you people seem to have of people starving on the streets is not at all true.
And yes, we do have taxis, and Uber, and safe car service.
i understand why you are defensive, but wealth doesn’t mean everyone has a car, wealth means everyone (even the banker with the rolex) is safe to use public transportation at night.
I agree. I was actually trying to show a diferent angle and a diferent side of the country to the people here who were commenting about extreme poverty, extreme violence, full of misinformation, prejudice, lack of information and displaying ignorance and short-Sigthness.
And I’m brazilian, but I have a dual citizenship-also a british citizen- I have lived in England, I have travelled extensively through all western and nothern europe many times and I ‘ve been to The US many times.
Brazilians are also educated people, who read books, have Wi-Fi, mobile phones, Apple stuff and stores, netflix, we go to the movies, we watch tv, we travel to Europe. We do more than just mugging and killing people at every corner.
You should all watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ” A Single Story” Ted Talk on YouTube.
I’ve been in Rio for the last two weeks and have been using Uber, taxis and the buses to go between all the stadiums. The Uber drivers in particular have been wonderful – I love they try to explain points of interest along the way in Portuguese knowing I don’t know a word of it! They’ve all been great – I can’t disagree enough with how Rio and Brazil are being portrayed in the media in the US. My US friends are constantly texting me telling me what a sh*t show this Olympics is – I’ve been very happy to tell them all they have no clue what they are talking about.
The fact that there’s extreme wealth alongside the favelas doesn’t exactly change what people are talking about: Rio and Brazil have serious problems with crime and corruption.
Honey, I LIVE here. In Rio. Grew up here. I KNOW about favelas-slums. I Know where they are and I can name each one of them for you. You’ d have to understand Rio’s complicated geography – squeezed between the atlantic Ocean and the mountains, with a giant Lagoon- Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, where many of the competitions are taking Place- in the middle of the city to understand the favelas.
You’d also have to know a bit of portuguese and brazilian history, which I can tell 95% of commentators in This thread know nothing about.
Nobody is saying those problems dont exist. But they arent all there is to the country. Brasil is an enourmous, continental, multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-cultural country and its day to day reality on urban centers does not correspond to the cliches and stereotypes being vomited in This thread.
Lucky you, I’m very familiar with South American history. But perhaps it’s a language barrier because I’m assuming if you’re Brazilian Portuguese is your first language, and your initial point simply didn’t make sense. I don’t think anyone who’s the slightest big familiar with Brazil thinks that the entire city of Rio is one giant slum – any city with beach and coastline like that is going to have stretches of mind-numbingly expensive real estate. But very wealthy, expensive pockets of a city don’t mean that there isn’t incredibly poverty – and even in terms of big metropolitan cities Rio has always been notorious for its crime.
So again, “honey”, just because there are pockets of wealth in Rio doesn’t mean that the violence and corruption that people are talking about aren’t real.
Who Is denying that there is a lot of poverty in some areas of the city? Which brazilian poster here has Denied that urban violence is a problem? We are not. We are Just saying that it isnt all there is to the city/country, and that Brasil is a lot more complex and complicated than the stereotypes people in this thread are repeating like parrots.
I was born in England. Lived there until I was 3 and a half years old. I am bilingual.
Your entire original post focused on the fact that there’s fancy real estate in Rio and that there is big money business there.
This scrutiny is par for the course when it comes to the Olympics. Athens was rightfully criticized, Beijing was criticized, as were Sochi and now Rio. And is it any surprise when you talk about investing the type of money demanded for the Games? There’s immense scrutiny leading up, complaints about something or other (pollution, crime, traffic jams, lightly populated venues) but inevitably the whole thing goes better than everyone expects. That’s just how things work with the Olympics and the building/construction now required to host.
I am happy to know you are familiar with South American history, Bridget, Which is complicated in itself.
Maybe you wouldnt think of Brasil as a giant slum, but many people here would and did. And that is not the truth. Brasil is now a urban, mostly middle class country, and Rio is a Big city with wealthy neighbourhoods, middle class neighbourhoods and underpriviledged ones.
Many people here were discussing the city as if it were a giant slum with drug lords armed with AK-47s were murdering people in broad daylight right next to the olympic stadium.
The city has problems. But there are wealthy people here, middle class people, people have jobs, go to school, go shopping, go to the movies, to the gym, just like everywhere else.
I totally believe Lochte. Why would he lie about being robbed? No, I don’t think he was mugged because he was not physically ‘attacked’ but he was actually held at gunpoint. I can see why he was not forthcoming up front to the USOC because he didn’t want to get in trouble and perhaps he was trying to avoid that, whereas the other swimmers may have said something different. Plus, if they were all drinking, they may have recalled the details a little differently. Lochte is back in the USA and no longer in Rio according to Fox News and his lawyer.
There are some unbelievable comments here! Many of you are seriously embarrassing yourselves. Most unusual for this site to conform to the stereotype that other nations hold about Americans.
Anyway. Something clearly happened. Just perhaps not quite exactly what Lochte et al said happened. But their statements to law enforcement were sufficiently contradictory for a judge to issue an order that they weren’t to leave the country and were to report back to police to clarify. (They had already left the country).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37108746
I do think people/media have the wrong impression of Rio and Brazil in general. The media is being way over dramatic and acting like it’s a war zone. Instead, there are multi-million dollar apartments in Rio and big multinational corporations like Alice posted.
It’s not unreasonable though to assume cops are lying, especially when there’s a documented history of the IOC trying to hush things like this up and multiple other athletes have been robbed. Let’s be realistic, there are many, many places in the world where it’s not uncommon to pay cops off or even be robbed by cops (hell, I was born in such a place). One of my friends is originally from a city outside Moscow and has paid off cops who pulled her over when she was back home. Enormous wealth inequality breeds strange conditions and there are different standards of what people deem “safe.” I feel safe when I visit my relatives in Trinidad but I feel “more” safe back in the states or when I visited Japan, etc.
It seems like lately people are getting super judgy here.
I noticed it with The Rocks blind when most thought it was Scott Eastwood, because really, who could it be?
That said, I think Ryan may not have been 100% truthful about how it happened, but I do give him the benefit of the doubt considering he looked a bit ditzy in the video, also sometimes your brain can be a douche and you dont remember clearly what really happened.
Hey, I’m from Brazil. Don’t live in Rio, and actually am from Sao Paulo. Firts: we have barely nothing in commom with Portugal, except from the language (that have a olt of little differences btw). I Went to Rio 2 times in my life, walked the city and never got robbed. I have rellativies that lived there for more than 20 years and never experienced one single crime. I see them as lucky folks, but that shows that there’s nothing out of this world there in terms of violence. People are not cutting throats and being robbed in every street, all the time. Not more than any big touristic city like Rio. With that size, that many people and money circulating, Of course security is an issue there, we hear about fake policemen robbing people now and then in Rio, in what we call “fake police blitz”. What I think is strange in their story is everything about the taxi driver, where did he left them? In the police station? Why wouldn’t him help the athletes report the robbery? I dont question the fact that they were really robbed, but I think there’s really something in their story that isn’t the way they are telling. Maybe they went to somewhere else to party, and there were rules about the time they should be back to the Olimpic Village? Idk. What I know is that we are not third world, we’re not immersed in crime, I don’t know a single human being personally that got zika, monkeys, mosquitos and capibaras aren’t running aroud like that…. We’re not every single cliche people have about 3rd world – we’r not. That kind of comment sounds like something an ignorant would say. Besides, there were pretty nasty reports about London-2012 that people seem to have forgot, their organization, crime, traffic etc in the city. And what about pollution in Beijing 2008? It seems like a recurrent issue with COI and their locals partners everytime. We are having political and economic issues now, but the olimpics are being planned as long as 8 years, and except from the last 2 years, our economy was blooming. We held the Fifa world Cup in 2014, and that event, with multiples cities involved went smoothly and safe, contrary to what most people were expecting from us, 3rd world, at that time.
Precisely, Helena. There were many, many problems in Athens, Beijing and even London and people conveniently seem to be forgetting about now……
Why do you think people forgot them? The discussion is the Rio Games.
“Found no evidence”. What kind of evidence does a mugger usually leave…a calling card saying “I got mugged in Rio by Paolo and all he left me was this crappy card”??
Paolo is not a Portuguese name so that really would be unlikely!
The party they were at was at the France Hospitality house, which was established in What is actually a super exclusive and super expensive private club, Hípica. This club members are bank presidents, celebrity doctors, big company directors, lawyers, hedge fund guys.
Hípica is at Lagoa, an extremely exclusive and prime neighbourhood. Remember those million dollar apartaments? The apartaments near hípica cost easily, around two million dollars or more. The apartaments overlooking Ipanema and Leblon beach can cost over 5 -8 million dollars. The big mansions in neighbourhoods such as Jardim Pernambuco, Alto Jardim Botânico and some parts of barra, more than that. The party was, therefore, at a super exclusive high end Place and other swimmers from other countries were also in attendance.
The Olympic Village is at the West Zone of Rio, in a neighbourhood called Barra, which is a middle class/upper middle class/ upper class área with lots of restaurants, malls, movie theaters, corporate buildings and so on. Barra is Home to many local celebrities, soccer stars, athelets and expats. The areas he was were not ” war zones” by any means.
Again, not to say urban violence is not an issue in Brasil. But he was not left on his own at a war Zone surrounded by drug lords.
And yes, there is ostensive army presence in the city during The Olympic Games.
Ryan Lochte and his idiot buddies most likely was looking for some P**** and end up getting setup. The went to a brothel and got setup by people who pretended they were cops. Ryan is not telling the full story because he does not certain details of his behavior that night to come out.
Perhaps Lochte and his buddies got ripped off when they weren’t alert. It happens. Maybe they’re a tad embarrassed to provide all of the details.
A Brazilian Olympian has spoken up and goes on record stating that Ryan is lying to cover up for messing around on his girlfriend who flew here to support him. He is just messy.
Getting Laura Bush “The Germans tried to poison me!” flashbacks.
The whole story was suspicious to begin with. If Lochte had refused to comply with the armed robbers demands he would have received more than a cocked gun at his head for the trouble. Also who then responds “whatever”. This will unravel quickly if a lie. The other two who did not make sworn statements will not fall on their swords for him.
Where were these men for the at least 2 possible more hours after the club closed and they returned to the village. There is a piece of this story missing.
I must say, some comentators here are really feeding the American cliché. So much arrogance and ignorance towards Bresil.
Indeed…
The arrogance a lot of people are demonstrating here is one of the reasons I believe Lochte may have lied. He probably thought nobody would question his story. I mean, Brazil’s just a third world country with a corrupt police, and everybody gets robbed there anyway, who would doubt him?
Only one silly question… how much cash could have they possibly have on them (after a long night out) that the robbers would not take anything else? I mean, police or posing as such… that is a huge “risk” to take for a couple of hundred bucks, they would most certainly have taken everything!!! I do not even believe they were so naive to carry cash on them in Rio, I mean… really?
And that comes from someone who has been scammed by a fake taxi driver in Rio.
The four Americans told police their attackers stripped them of their wallets containing 700 Reals – equivalent to $224 – but surprisingly didn’t take their phones
So yeah not a lot at all. It isn’t that huge of a risk though. Drunk tourists who are likely unarmed and would most likely comply with a police officer and are trapped, sitting ducks assuming the cab driver is complicit. I don’t think they knew who he was or that anyone would really care and an underfunded, understaffed, overloaded police department is going to spend a whole lot of resources to figure out this crime and if they just took cash it is hard to catch and harder to prove. People do dumber and riskier things for a lot less. Add in desperation, addiction, and/or mental illness people will do almost anything.
The other two swimmers just got pulled off a plane back to the US though. This story gets weirder and weirder…
Even if as some people are speculating he spent it on girls and/or drugs that is like $50 a pop. Do his mom and girlfriend check his wallet everyday? I know he is a bit of an idiot but between the four of them they couldn’t come up with a less dramatic story and/or $50? I just don’t get why you would call your mom and wake her up and have her rush over to your room after partying with friends if something didn’t actually happen.
I can sort of buy lying for media attention but that is such a roundabout way to do it and he could have just dyed his hair another stupid color or come up with a new catch phrase and gotten just as much. Plus, those other three would have to be unbelievably stupid to just go along. The story was always going to be about him and they would be just a footnote. Micheal, Boomer, Katie, and Simone kind of pulled focus and he clearly loves attention, fame, and all that comes with it. But still why get Mom involved when you could have just made a big deal about it to the security guard that checked them in to the Village?
If he was cheating on his girlfriend why would he want more/international scrutiny on his whereabouts and activities? He was at the club with three friends, posted on Instagram from the club, came home with the same three friends if anything adding in being held up at gun point makes it less believable.
Also, if he was lying why would he voluntarily (or be allowed to by his lawyer) sign a statement before the FBI? He may be extremely dumb but even he would have to know not to do that or his lawyer would make it abundantly clear why he should not do that. I really can’t come up with anything that explains it.
Also to be clear I tend to believe him because he said he was a victim, not because Rio like some others. This is flat out bizarre and I hope the other two get to come home soon.
I’m shocked with so much ignorance towards Brazil… Rio de Janeiro is as dangerous as any other big city. This Ryan Lotché story is totally cap. He must had been doing something that he doesn’t want people to know and thought that it would be easy to say they were robbed, giving Rio’s background. For example, Rio robbers would never leave the cell phones, GPS is not enough… guess what, we do have GPS in our phones too. Our police would never try to contradict Lotche, the facts are contradicting him. We’ve been having many problems, but we are cleaning the house. And we are not third world country. Look at your own country problems (like gunshots is schools every now and them) before pointing fingers at us.
Blame the victim much?
Your Olympics have been a literal dumpster fire from day one.
Atlanta?
UnpoliteTeaSipper.
there, fixed your name for you.
Lochte seems too simple minded to completely make up something like this so I believe they were mugged. At the same time I also belive they were somewhere they weren’t supposed to be/doing something they weren’t supposed to do. Buying drugs and/or hiring hookers, maybe?
Do I believe him? Jeah! Muggings and shakedowns are commonplace in Brazil. Authorities are probably pissed that such a high profile athlete got mugged and are attenpting to cover it up to try save face.
How it went down, I don’t think that’s 100% how it happened, but maybe he is that dumb to be all like whatever when a gun is put in his face – The derp is strong with that one. It’s a good thing he’s pretty!
I love reading the comments section on celebitchy to chill out after a stress work day.
People here usually formes a wonderfull community that thought me so much about race, gender inequality and domestic violence.
However, as a Brazillian I am appalled by The level Of prejudice and ignorance against my country. What a sad day for us “Third world” Maybe you guys should actually experience Brazil before judge us.
By the Way I was muggled in Paris, receive a false peso bill in Argentina and stil would come back To visit Those lovely contries. Yes Brazil should invest our money better. I wish better schools and public hospitals were builts instead Of stadiums.
I’m off to check the Eyes for Lies website to see if Renee had commented on this yet.
Hosting the Olympics is a very dicey business.
Very few countries come away with ANY benefits.
Most have towns razed.
Forests chopped down.
In Beijing they erased entire blocks that had existed for hundreds of years. TIny little alleyways where people lived on top of each other. Now there is some large empty structure.
The IOC hides everything negative. If you win the summer games, you might go bankrupt a few years later.
The Olympics COST money.
and btw: I’ve been to Brazil, after traveling all over South America and living in Central America. There is no country or people like Brazil. It is HUGE and the people are gorgeous and lovely and emotional and full of life. My only regret was not staying longer.
Read this. It is so depressing:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/olympics-poor-rio-atlanta_us_57aa27a2e4b0db3be07bde67
Also, fwiw, Brazilian Police pulled two swimmers off their plane.
WOW. The police pulled 2 swimmers off the plane? For what, a potentially false statement… for something that they never even filed a report on? Trying to confiscate passports, now this – that doesn’t seem wrong to anyone? Even if they *are* lying, I don’t get how that merits this reaction, though I’m looking through the lens of the American justice system, where they would have committed no crime.
To me, this doesn’t speak to Rio’s dangerousness as a city (though street crime is a thing) so much as the corruption. Muggings happen in any major tourist hub. Cab scams happen pretty much everywhere. But pulling someone off a plane for saying they were robbed? Not so much.
Apparently there is a law in Brazil about falsely reporting a crime, 3years in prison if convicted. It looked very much like the boys were checking in wallets at the swim village centre scanner as well as phones and there are quite a few holes in their story, including the fact that he now says he didn’t have a gun pointed at him during the robbery, he previously said a gun was pointed at/ held against his head.
Could they have fabricated the story to gain some paid talk show gigs in the USA , his reality show was cancelled, he is at the end of his career and not likely to get any well paying sponsorship deals now.
Apparently they broke the law while in Brazil. You know, countries have different laws. IF they gave false testimony re: a crime that was not a crime or did not happen, then they broke the law. Brazilian law. And now they have to deal with that just like the kid who ripped a propaganda poster off a wall in North Korea.
I’m just really, really glad that Phelps isn’t involved in any of this mess.
Seriously. Brazil is not a third world country. And newsflash crime happens everywhere. To the poster who said this doesn’t happen in Western Europe. Bullshit. Just last year a friend’s dad was robbed on the Paris metro, just a few months ago another friend of mine was robbed in Madrid- the attacker had a knife and my friend sustained some wounds on one of his arms. And the list goes on and on.