NEW YORK (AA) – The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) on Thursday hit Ryan Lochte with a 10-month ban for his role in fabricating a story about an armed robbery during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The ban will force the swimmer to miss the 2017 world championships next July.
The gold medalist, along with fellow Olympians James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger, was embroiled in the controversy after they vandalized the bathroom of a gas station near the games’ venues.
According to Rio officials, the swimmers were confronted by a security guard and asked by the management to pay for the damages, but Lochte chose to put it differently.
The 32 year-old later admitted he “over-exaggerated” the story in which he said a gunman pointed a weapon at his head.
“As we have said previously, the behavior of these athletes was not acceptable. It unfairly maligned our hosts and diverted attention away from the historic achievements of Team USA,” USOC head Scott Blackmun said in a statement. “Each of the athletes has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the appropriate sanctions.”
The three other swimmers received four-month bans.
They will not attend a White House function honoring the Olympic team, and will forfeit monetary bonuses received by gold medal winners from the USOC and USA Swimming. Lochte stands to lose $100,000 in bonuses.
Lochte lost much more financially last month when all of his sponsors, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren, withdrew support.
Despite the headline-grabbing saga, Lochte has kept his media presence alive.
He is an active social media user and last month accepted a spot on the upcoming season of the popular Dancing With The Stars television show.
Brazilian police charged Lochte on his false robbery complaint, but it is unlikely that he would return to Brazil to defend himself.
