Olympic Games: Scandals mar celebrations

THE Rio Games will go down as the strangest, most controversial, and scandal-prone Olympics of the 21st century.

While Pat Hickey, president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, remains in custody, the governing body of amateur boxing, AIBA, has expelled referees and judges involved in controversial decisions and Brazilian police have arrested two American swimmers who were reportedly the victims of an armed robbery in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday.

The Brazilian authorities removed US Olympic swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz from their plane for questioning as part of an investigation into the robbery which was made public by gold medalist Ryan Lochte, who later told NBC News that the trio, along with fellow swimmer James Feigen, were robbed at gunpoint by muggers posing as police officers.

The claims made global headlines owing to concerns about the safety of visiting Olympians in Rio but police say they have not found any evidence to back up the robbery claims.

Brazilian judge Keyla Blank ordered the passports of all four to be seized but Lochte had already gone home.

Earlier, during a police raid similar to the arrest of Fifa officials in Zurich last year, Mr Hickey was shown answering his hotel room door with no clothes on, before putting on a bathrobe. The pity is that these events are diverting attention from what is supposed to be the world’s great sporting event.