Sunday, August 14th, Lochte reported an assault to Rio police, stating that he had been held at gunpoint after leaving the club. After continued police investigation, Rio officials determined that Lochte and his teammates lied about the incident.
Released security tapes publicize Lochte’s actions that night. Lochte and his fellow swimmers partied at the club, not leaving until early in the morning. On the way home, drunk, they stopped at a gas station. The footage shows the swimmers vandalizing and mistreating the property, then obnoxiously strolling out to their vehicle. Security approached them in regards to the matter after they arrived back at the car. A security officer did hold the driver at gunpoint but allowed Lochte and his team to return to Olympic Village.
Lochte later spoke to the media, claiming that he and his teammates were held at gunpoint while men asked them for money.
Days after, Rio police reported Lochte’s statements to be lies. The main clue was the footage of Lochte entering the Village. He, and the others, still possessed all items on their persons, including nice watches, wallets, and phones, among other things. If they had been in a hostile situation involving weapons, the first thing they would have been forced to do is surrender obvious valuables on their persons, meaning they wouldn’t have returned to the village wearing expensive wristwatches and other goods.
The city of Rio demanded consequences for Lochte’s careless actions. Late Thursday night, American Olympic Officials issued an apology on behalf of Lochte’s actions. Friday morning, Lochte himself apologized for his actions. On Instagram, Lochte claimed the incident was a misunderstanding.
In my humble opinion, Lochte’s apology does not suffice as a genuine plea for forgiveness of the amount of damage he inflicted. Lochte’s post was compiled of excuses as to why he did what he did. The bottom line is that he got drunk in a club with his pals, and proceeded in making some rather poor decisions.
Lochte’s actions will leave a mark on Rio, even as he heads home to the US with his teammates.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is known for its difficult living conditions. One of the reasons Rio was selected for this year’s summer Olympics was to unite countries around the world, despite the quality of living. The Olympics had never been hosted in the continent of South America prior to this year.
Not only have the Olympic athletes struggled with the altitude, finding good food, and drinking clean water, but they have also had to prioritize safety. Rio is known for its street violence, gangs, police corruption, and its uncleanliness. Lochte’s actions emphasize an already well-known fact of the violence in Rio, in addition to drawing the city further away from solving the issue.
Without Lochte’s lies, the Olympics would benefit Rio, drawing tourists from all over the world. Tourism would help the economy grow and steady.
Lochte has altered the outcomes through hindering tourism in the city. Many people, already feeling hesitant, will plan for vacations elsewhere this year as the result of Lochte’s negative representation of the city of Rio. His actions detract attention from the other athletes and put the safety concerns of Rio in the spotlight, even more so now than before. He has ruined an extremely large pool of income.
Furthermore, Lochte has given Brazilians a reason to distrust the American people. Lochte represented us all when training and swimming for the American Olympic Team. The impression he gave other countries allows other international athletes to form ideas on how to view Americans. Lochte’s actions lost the trust of many athletes and other international representatives, making Americans all look like prideful idiots. He gave Brazil a reason to criticize and question our country’s foundations and values.
The misrepresentation Lochte created will not only follow US Olympian athletes in the Olympics to come but will also allow everyday people in Brazil to not trust Americans. The distrust between countries will also affect tourism in the way that Americans may be less inclined to go to Rio. While, on the other hand, Rio citizens may be less inclined to host Americans or treat them with respect, and understandably so.
Some officials wish to allow Lochte off the hook, saying he is young and was just having some dumb fun. However, at the international level, American social norms should not dramatically risk another country’s well-being for a night on the town.
Lochte needs to be held accountable for his actions. His medals don’t make him invincible to punishment. He needs to do service of a sort to mend what has been broken. Lochte needs to display some genuine remorse for his actions and work toward moving both countries forward, instead of immaturely making excuses for his actions.
Lochte should be embarrassed for casting disgust upon the American people, and work actively toward fixing what he has done, because he, of anyone, should understand that even heroes fall.
