Athletes Are Already Getting Robbed in Rio

Australian Paralympian robbed at gunpoint on Sunday
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 21, 2016 9:29 AM CDT
Athletes Are Already Getting Mugged in Rio
Brazilian police officers take part in a security drill in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympics.   (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

The Olympics are still six weeks away, yet several athletes have already become victims of crime in Rio. Australian Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch, 47, says a man with a gun demanded money, then pushed her off her bicycle as she rode in a park on Sunday. A second man stole the bike of her team's physiotherapist, per Australia's AP.

What Tesch termed an "absolutely horrific" crime—which comes a month after three Olympic sailors from Spain were robbed at gunpoint, per the BBC—has the Australian Olympic Committee demanding a review of the number of security forces in Rio and considering a curfew for athletes, per the Washington Post. (The women were robbed at 7:30am, notes the AP.) Brazilian officials say the city—which has declared a financial emergency—will be safe in August with 85,000 officers patrolling the streets. (More 2016 Olympics stories.)

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