News Digest

Kiwi jiu-jitsu star robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro by men in police uniforms

A sportsman living in Brazil says he was kidnapped by men in police uniform and forced to withdraw money from cash machines.New Zealander Jason Lee, a jiu-jitsu athlete, tweeted “What did you guys get up to yesterday? I got kidnapped. Go Olympics! #Rio2016.” Writing on his Facebook page, he said he was kidnapped in Rio de Janeiro by people in police uniforms, “not by some random people with guns”.

I was threatened with arrest if I did not get in their private car and accompany them to two ATMs to withdraw a large sum of money for a bribe.

Jason Lee

“I’m not sure what’s more depressing, the fact this stuff is happening to foreigners so close to the Olympic Games or the fact that Brazilians have to live in a society that enables this absolute bull**** on a daily basis,” he said. There are concerns about the security of athletes and fans at the Games, which start on August 5. Two members of the Australian Paralympic sailing squad were robbed at gunpoint last month. Sailor Liesl Tesch and team official Sarah Ross were confronted by two men while riding their bicycles in at a park in Rio. Lee, who has been living in Rio for 10 months, said: “There are obvious disadvantages, such as crime and personal safety but I would urge this isn’t a big enough problem to discourage people from visiting.”