Australia Olympic Committee Bans Athletes from Attending Rio Beaches at Night

After American swimmer Ryan Lochte was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning in Rio de Janeiro, the Australia Olympic Committee has prohibited its athletes from visiting the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches at night, per ESPN.com's Tom Hamilton.

Kitty Chiller, Australia's head of mission, said the AOC had already suggested to its athletes that they travel in groups of three or more. Now, the AOC has made the two beaches off-limits from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. BRT.

"There has been an increase in petty criminal—but still criminal—activity on the beaches," Chiller said. "If travelling at night after dark—between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.—that is only by vehicle, not by foot even if you're going 400 or 500 meters."

In an interview with NBC Sports (via Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times), Lochte confirmed individuals who posed as Rio police officers robbed him and three additional U.S. swimmers:

"

We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn't do anything wrong, so — I'm not getting down on the ground. And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.

"

From the start, some Australian athletes have had a trying experience in Rio.

Before the Olympics got underway, the AOC voiced concern over its athletes' living situations, complaining about unusable toilets, exposed wiring and the odor of gas in some apartments. Dallas Mavericks center Andrew Bogut shared a photo of himself working on a shower curtain to use in his bathroom:

On July 29, Australian athletes said they had been robbed after they evacuated their building in the Olympic village because of a fire in the building's basement. Maintenance workers had also reportedly disabled the fire alarms in the apartment to complete work in an adjacent building.