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Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning.
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The dangers of Rio took center stage again Sunday as news emerged, first denied by the USOC and IOC, that one of the most famous names in Olympic sports had been robbed at gunpoint. Men posing as police officers
held up Ryan Lochte and three U.S. teammates as they left the French hospitality house in the upscale Lagoa neighborhood, an example of how some criminals in this city exploit instincts that certain people and places seem safe.
Interviewed Sunday, one hospitality manager didn’t see any reason to reconsider his security plan for guests.
“We believe our security protocol in place is solid,” said Phil Pacsi, vice president of sports/events marketing for Bridgestone, a new IOC sponsor. “We are just reinforcing with our staff to not get too comfortable after being in place for three weeks and to our guests that we are working behind the scenes for their security and enjoyment of the Games.”
Safety in Rio has long been a top concern of hospitality program planners, who debriefed their guests early on this year on protocol and, in some cases, are taking extraordinary measures. Drivers in bulletproof cars, private security teams and warnings against “leaving the system” are common.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Lochte and his teammates violated protocol by using a taxi rather than an Uber, which is cleared by the U.S. State Department for its location-tracking capabilities. The USOC encourages its athletes to use official USOC or Rio 2016-provided transportation.
“I think people that come to Rio get a little numb to the fact that when you venture off on your own, because it’s such a vibrant city, that’s when things happen,” said Brice McKeever, Visa’s vice president of global sponsorship marketing, prior to the Lochte incident. “When you venture off the path, you put yourself at risk.”
Some companies are using technology to track individual guests, including USOC sponsors BP and Bridgestone. BP issued special phones to high-end VIPs, said George Bauernfeind, BP head of Olympics and Paralympics.
Bridgestone uses an app called Stabilitas, which lists individual users by their location and plots them on a map using GPS. The master user can ask users to check in to verify their security, and users also can tap an emergency alert button, which triggers a welfare check call in 10 seconds. Bridgestone also used the app to help determine special security needs for a trip to a dealership Saturday morning in Deodoro.
For a profile of USOC Chief Security Officer Larry Buendorf, click here. For an executive roundtable about the Rio Games, including security on the ground, click here.
