Ryan Lochte banned: US swimmer accepts 10-month suspension after false armed robbery claims

Lochte's three teammates have also been suspended for four months each

Ryan Lochte told US media that he and three teammates were the victims of an armed robbery (Getty)

Ryan Lochte has accepted a 10-month ban from competitive swimming after he falsely claimed to have been the victim of an armed robbery during the Rio Olympic Games, while three of his Team USA colleagues have also been suspended.

Lochte won gold at Rio as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team, but he became engulfed in a robbery scandal that also included his Team US colleagues James Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz when they were confronted by armed security guards after vandalising a petrol station toilet.

Feigen, Conger and Bentz have all accepted four-month bans for their part in the incident.

Lochte claimed in an interview that the four had been robbed at gunpoint after riding in a taxi, but he has since since apologised after “he left details out” and over-exaggerated his story. Lochte continues to deny that he lied about the incident.

The incident left the host nation furious at what they deemed to be a deliberate attempt to depict Brazil as a crime-ridden nation, and the United States Olympic Committee [USOC] apologised before the Olympic closing ceremony and confirmed that it had launched an investigation.

Lochte has now been suspended by US Swimming for 10 months, which will rule him out of next year’s world swimming championships in Budapest. The 32-year-old American has previously confirmed plans to appear at the 2020 Toyko Games – where he will be 36 years old – but his participation is now in doubt following the Rio incident.

Speaking last month to explain his side of the story, Lochte said: “I was intoxicated. I was immature, and I made a stupid mistake. I’m human, and I’m just really sorry.”

USOC added: “The behaviour of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team USA or the conduct of the vast majority of its members.”

More to follow...