The Olympic Committee suspended Ryan Lochte because of the controversies surrounding him. Ryan Lochte is the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history, with 12 medals, behind only fellow American swimmer Michael Phelps. Ryan Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson also hold the record. However, after the notorious “Lochtegate,” he was suspended for an indefinite period of time and was dismissed by all of his major sponsors.
Ryan Lochte Scandal: Olympic Committee Suspends Him
Ryan Lochte has been banned for 10 months by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and USA Swimming. The sentence was meted out for lying about being robbed at gunpoint at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The move was made public on September 8, 2016, with the United States of America Swimming laying forth consequences in addition to the 10-month ban (until June 30, 2017).
According to the announcement, Lochte was barred from all domestic and international events and will no longer receive a monthly stipend from USA Swimming or the USOC. Similarly, he would not have direct assistance or access to the USOC’s training facilities. He would also have to forego any USA Swimming and USOC medal funds for his gold medal in the 2016 Olympic Games. In addition, Lochte would be required to conduct 20 hours of community service and would be barred from participating in Team USA’s White House visit and USA Swimming’s annual “Golden Goggles” celebration in 2016.
In addition to him, Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger, and Gunnar Bentz were also sentenced. following the matter became a worldwide spectacle, the American athlete tweeted an apology on August 19, that year, five days following the accusation. Following the event, popularly known as “Lochtegate,” he said that he was “altered” or “drunk” at the time of the occurrence and that he “exaggerated that story.”
Ryan Lochte lied about a robbery in Rio de Janeiro.
The then-32-year-old said that he, Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger, and Gunnar Bentz were robbed at gunpoint in a cab on their way home from a party. Lochte spoke with N.B.C.’s Today about the evening’s events. According to the Associated Press, Lochte said that their party was pulled up and that three men with police badges arrived.
They merely had the badge and no lighting or other things. The suspected thieves took out their pistols after being pulled over and instructed the other athletes to get down on the ground. While the others agreed, he declined since he believed they had done nothing wrong. Then one of the men brought out his rifle and aimed it at Lochte’s brow. He then sat down and raised his hands. “He [the mugger] took our money, my wallet—he left my cellphone, he left my credentials,” Lochte said.
Shortly after the interview, however, Brazilian Police acknowledged that the narrative was falsified. “There was no robbery committed against these athletes.” “They were not victims of what they claimed,” Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso stated during a press conference. According to Veloso, CCTV video shows one swimmer tearing a sign off a wall and tossing it to the ground. According to the A.P., Bentz, and Conger informed Brazilian authorities that Lochte’s explanation was fake. Two guards brandished firearms at the swimmers during the event. Veloso would not corroborate the report, but he said say the guards’ actions were justified since the players “were violently conducting themselves.”
