Speedo and Ralph Lauren end sponsorship: Ryan Lochte
Disgraced US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, who lied about being robbed at gunpoint by a policeman after a night out during the Rio Olympics is to lose sponsorship from four major sponsors including fashion label Ralph Lauren, swimwear manufacturer Speedo, skin care firm Syneron-Candela and Japanese mattress maker Airweave.
Lochte (32), is one of the most successful swimmers in history with 12-time Olympic gold medals, and once had his own reality television show in the US, which ranks him second in swimming behind Michael Phelps, has earned millions of dollars through endorsements, respected Speedo’s decision, and thanked the company and said “I am grateful for the opportunities that our partnership has afforded me over the years.”
Lochte swam, in two events in Rio, winning a gold medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay along with team-mate Jack Conger.
Speedo, the biggest sponsor of the four, said: “ We cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for.” Speedo said it would donate a $ 50,000 portion of Lochte’s sponsorship fee to the charity Save the Children;s Brazilian operation. Lochte’s Speedo sponsorship contract reportedly expires this year after 10 years.
Ralph Lauren, which has removed some of Lochte’s images from its website, said its sponsorship of the swimmer had been only for the Rio Olympics and would not be renewed.
However, both Ralph Lauren and Airweave stressed that they would continue their support of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams.
Syneron- Candela said: “ We hold our employees to high standards, and we expect the same of our business partners.”
The saga began when Lochte and three team-mates returned to the Olympic village after a late night out in Rio. They attempted unsuccessfully, to use the locked toilet at a garage and urinated outside instead. After first claiming that he and his three team-mates James Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, had been robbed by a bogus policeman, Lochte back-tracked and admitted he had, while still drunk, “left details out” and “over-exaggerated some parts of the story.”
Ryan Lochte told it was his fault that a fabricated story about a robbery in the early morning hours of August 14, 2016, caused an international Olympics scandal “ I over-exaggerated that story as I was coming form the France house, highly intoxicated, and made immature accusations, and if I had never done that we wouldn’t be in this mess.” The aftermath of the incident he and his three fellow swimmers were questioned by Brazilian police and was ordered to donate nearly $11,000 to a Brazilian charity. Brazilian authorities said the swimmers actually vandalised a gas station and then got into an altercation with the security there.
He said that he did not ask his teammates to corroborate his story and apologised 110 per cent to “ the gas station owner, to Brazilian police, to the people of Rio and Brazil, everyone that came together to put on these wonderful games.” Despite the evidence against him, including CCTV footage, he has however denied that he actually lied in his initial account to Brazilian police.
Lochte’s behavior was condoned in the US and has been pilloried in the US media. New York Post on 19th August 2016, carried a front-page headline describing him as the “Ugly American” along with the slogan “Liar, Liar, Speedo on fire.”
The International Olympic Committee has set up a disciplinary commission to investigate Lochte and the three other US swimmers involved in an altercation at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro and the commission will determine if the swimmers will face any punishment.
The effects of having a few drinks can differ from person to person, and little do they realise how risky their drinking patterns are and what that alcohol is doing to them under the hood. More than 38 million adults binge drink an average of four times a month, according to CDC data and between 18 to 34, are likely to go overboard than any other group. The brain gets more sensitive to alcohol’s sedative effects The most obvious result of drinking too much alcohol is that you are likely to become drunk and are prone to making poor judgement calls, your vision, speech are negatively affected, your impulses are slow and engage in illegal behaviour as your liver eliminates toxins, including alcohol from your system. Ryan and his fellow swimmer’s binge drinking prompted them to use the toilet at a gas station and got into altercation after they found the only toilet was closed.