Rio police lay charges against disgraced US swimmer Ryan Lochte

  • 26/08/2016
A mocking poster on display at Rio, accusing Ryan Lochte of lying (Reuters)
A mocking poster on display at Rio, accusing Ryan Lochte of lying (Reuters)

Police in Rio de Janeiro have charged US swimmer Ryan Lochte be charged with falsely reporting a crime.

The department's chief has requested a letter be sent to the gold medal winning American, explaining the legal process related to the charges. 

The charge would be considered a minor misdemeanour, normally punishable by a fine.

The 12-time Olympic medalist will now be summoned to Rio.

Lochte, 32, lost his major sponsors, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren, following his apology for an "exaggerated" story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio during the Olympics.

The incident embarrassed the host city, angered the local police and government and dominated news coverage of South America's first Olympics, leading the US Olympic Committee to issue an apology.

Within hours of the Games coming to a close, Speedo USA issued a statement saying it would drop Lochte as one of its endorsers, while Ralph Lauren said it would not be renewing its contract with the swimmer.

"I was immature and I made a stupid mistake. I'm human. I made a mistake and I definitely learned from this," Lochte said in an interview.

However, Lochte has won a new endorsement deal with cough drop makers Pine Bros., just days after losing Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren.

Lochte was the breakout star of the London 2012 Olympics, landing a short-lived reality TV series called "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" and appearing, as himself, on top shows such as "30 Rock" and "90210".

Newshub.