American swimmer Ryan Lochte decided to attend a party in Rio where the celebration almost turned deadly.
Ben Way of Fox Sports reports the 12-time Olympic medalist was held at gunpoint when he attended a party in Brazil.
Lochte invited by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira, and is now safe at @USASwimming base. @FOXSportsNews told 3 teammates were with him.
— Ben Way (@BenWayAUS) August 14, 2016
Lochte and three teammates were reportedly invited to the party by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira. According to Way, Lochte and those teammates are all safe. It’s tremendously scary.
The IOC denies the incident took place.
IOC director of comms Mark Adams has just said Lochte gunpoint story is "not true."
— Ben Rumsby (@ben_rumsby) August 14, 2016
American pole vaulter Jenn Suhr told Way she’s glad Lochte’s safe, but he probably shouldn’t have gone out in the first place.
“It definitely would have been terrifying. I’m just glad they’re safe. When you’re in another country you don’t know of, it’s not the smartest idea to go places you’re unsure of.”
Suhr is correct. Lochte probably shouldn’t have gone beyond the confines of the Olympic Village. Not just because Rio isn’t safe, but because athletes have been targeted for crimes since the games began. There have been multiple instances where athletes have been robbed. Lochte, an avid partier, should have kept celebrations within the Olympic village. He’s lucky to walk away from the incident unharmed.
Lochte is one of the most decorated athletes in American Olympic history and could have been killed. While there’s no way of knowing that he would have been held at gunpoint, he needs to know better than to put himself in dangerous situations. For now, the rest of his Olympic Games should be spent at the Olympic Village.
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