US swimmer apologizes for robbery story

NEW YORK

American swimmer Ryan Lochte on Friday apologized via social media for the way in which he described being robbed while in Rio de Janeiro after it emerged he invented the story.

“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend -- for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics,” Lochte said on Twitter. “I waited to share these thoughts until it was confirmed that the legal situation was addressed and it was clear that my teammates would be arriving home safely,” he said.

“I should have been more much more responsible and how I handled myself and for that I’m sorry to my teammates my fans my fellow competitors my sponsors and the hosts of this great event,” he added.

The 12-time Olympics medalist said earlier this week he and three other U.S. swimmers -- Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and James Feigen, were robbed at gunpoint Sunday.

It later emerged that a security guard pointed a gun at the swimmers, demanding they pay for an outside bathroom door they broke at a suburban gas station near Olympic venues.

The International Olympic Committee announced Friday it was forming a disciplinary commission, with the power to issue sanctions, to look into the saga, according to The Associated Press.

Lochte had offered a dramatic description that included a robber putting the gun to his forehead and cocking it, only to later tweak the story, saying the robber “pointed the gun in my direction”.

Amid an investigation, Brazilian police said Wednesday the story was fabricated.

A police official said the swimmers arrived at the gas station early Sunday and one of them tried to open the locked door of an outside bathroom to no avail, upon which a few of the athletes pushed together and cracked it open, prompting a confrontation with security guard at the station.

When the manager arrived, the athletes were asked to pay for the broken door. They handed the manager an undisclosed amount of cash and left, according to the police official.

Brazilian police said in a later statement that a security guard did point a gun at the athletes.