Rio-2016 Committee Says That Case of Swimmers Is a Public Embarrassment
The Rio-2016 Committee said that it isn't waiting for an apology from the American swimmers, who according to the police lied about an armed robbery that didn't take place last weekend.
Mario Andrada, the organization's communication director, said that the athletes made a mistake and referred to the case as a public embarrassment.
"I'm not waiting for an apology. Because of this I said to leave them alone. Going through a public embarrassment of this magnitude is, I hope, sufficient for them to learn a lesson", he said, in a press conference.
"They were wrong. They made a mistake. But let's lighten up. Let's remember that they are young. They came here, gave their all, they had been working for this for at least four years. Let's lighten up just a little. They are here having fun, they made a mistake but life goes on", he concluded.
The Rio-2016 Committee and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) were the first to respond shortly after Ryan Lochte's mother spoke to the press in the United States.
Initially they had denied it, citing the American committee as a source of information. However, minutes later, the information changed.
For Andrada, the lie initially caused damage to Rio's image, but that the back-and-forth of the case ended up working this out.
"What you see is that all the Brazilians who felt ashamed by the first version feel their souls cleansed now. Letting the facts speak for themselves is more eloquent. Going through a situation like this, in front of the whole world, is very significant. We don't regret not having apologized. It's worth it for everyone who was in some way touched by the Games", he concluded.
Translated by LLOYD HARDER