8 Sep 2016

Lochte to be suspended from swimming - reports

11:52 am on 8 September 2016

Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers are to be suspended over an incident at a petrol station during the Rio Olympics, according to US media.

Ryan Lochte at a media conference in Rio de Janeiro, before the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Ryan Lochte at a media conference in Rio de Janeiro, before the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

The United States Olympic Committee and USA Swimming will announce the suspension later today, according to USA Today.

It reported that Lochte will be suspended from all competition for 10 months and will be banned from the 2017 world champs in Budapest in July.

The four swimmers were involved in the incident after a night of partying, following the end of the Olympic swimming competition.

Lochte's mother, Ileana Lochte, reported the following morning that her son had been robbed,

But Lochte later revised his account of what happened and acknowledged that he exaggerated some details, while standing by his story that he and his teammates were detained at gunpoint and forced to pay money so they could leave.

Police in Brazil charged Lochte with making a false statement.

The bizarre story began when Lochte claimed that he and three fellow swimmers were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge as they returned to the Olympic village from a party.

But police said he made up the story and officers produced video evidence that the group were actually challenged by security guards after they vandalised a petrol station toilet.

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