Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte apologized for his behavior in Brazil, following his disputed claim that he was robbed at gunpoint while on a night out with three teammates.
Mr. Lochte’s statement, posted on Instagram, followed an apology to the games’ organizers and the people of Brazil by the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday night.
“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend—for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics,” Mr. Lochte wrote.
Mr. Lochte, 32 years old, had said the four swimmers, on their way back from a party early Sunday, were held up by men posing as police officers—an account that Rio police said Thursday had been disproved by witnesses and surveillance-camera footage.
A lawyer for two of the swimmers— Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger—backed Rio authorities’ account.
“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country—with a language barrier—and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave,” Mr. Lochte wrote. “But regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors, and the hosts of this great event.”
Rio 2016 organizers said moments after Mr. Lochte’s statement that it was welcome and that they were prepared to move on.
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