Drama in Rio-Olympic swimmers caught in vandalism scandal

On the morning of Aug. 14, 12-time Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and a group of friends went to a gas station in Rio after celebrating Lochte’s recent gold medal win in the Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Upon entering the gas station, Lochte and his friends proceeded to vandalize the location. Security guards had drawn their guns and stopped the group from leaving the station after it had already been vandalized.

During the week of the incident, the true story remained controversial for quite some time. Lochte claimed that his group was robbed at gunpoint, but when security cameras confirmed otherwise, his story had changed. After news had spread that Lochte had made up his original story, he decided that there was no point in lying any further. Lochte states that he “overexaggerated the story,” while in an interview with news anchor Matt Lauer.

Despite that, Lochte still believes that he and his teammates, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and James Feigen, were the victims in the situation. Conger and Bentz were detained in Rio after being taken off of their plane, and had their passports confiscated. The Brazillian authorities then ordered to find Feigen and Lochte and make sure that they did not leave the country.

After locating Feigen and Lochte, the Brazillian authorities and attorneys of the swimmers had to come up with a compromise. Feigen’s attorney arranged that the swimmer is to pay a fine of $10,800. However, after being questioned by authorities Conger and Bentz were able to retrieve their passports and go home without paying a fine.

As of Aug. 26, the Brazilian authorities have charged Lochte with filing a false police report, and he could face fines of nearly $10,000 or more. Since this incident, the public’s view of the swimmer has certainly changed.

Founder of The Publicity Agency Glenn Selig said: “He apologizes but never says what he’s apologizing for. You wonder, is he really sorry? He sort of port rays himself as a victim.”

In addition to this statement, many Brazilians still have quite a bit of turmoil with Lochte. They feel as though that his crime should not be left unpunished, and are awaiting a final word on what is to come to Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte.