ON THE SAME day that the Brazilian Minister of Sport insisted preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics were ‘progressing well’, two athletes have been robbed at knife point in the host city.
British sailors Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark – both of whom won silver in London two years ago – endured the ordeal as they walked back from a team training session to the hotel they were staying in.
Two men armed with knives approached the pair near the Marina da Glória sailing venue and threatened them before robbing their personal items as well as their training gear.
“Our delightful walk back from the sailing club to the hotel turned fairly nasty when two guys wielding seven-inch (16.5 cm) knives ran at us, pushed us around and grabbed everything we had,” the sailors said on Facebook.
“Along with the things that were actually worth something, the most annoying thing right now is our lycra we were sailing in got taken… unbelievable!
“Anyway, we made it back to the hotel slightly shaken but all OK.”
Rio will be the first South American city to host the Olympics but just like in the build-up to this year’s World Cup, there are concerns over the safety of the thousands of athletes and fans expected to descend on the city in August 2016.
Aldo Rebelo, the outgoing Minister of Sport, has allayed fears that venues won’t be fit for use despite sailors claiming that the venue for their sport is unsuitable because of the cleanlinesses of the water.
