Spanish Olympic Sailors Assaulted in Tourist Area of Rio de Janeiro

Two members and a coach of Spain’s sailing team were robbed at gunpoint in a popular tourist area of Rio de Janeiro while in the city to train for the Olympic Games beginning in under three weeks.

Fernando Echavarri, Tara Pacheco and coach Santi Lopez-Vazquez were “assaulted by five people armed with pistols,” said the Spanish sailing federation in a statement, the AP reports. The Olympians were on their way to breakfast at the time, and were not hurt during the attack.

“It was a very unpleasant experience,” said Lopez-Vázquez. “There were five youths with two pistols. They took all the work equipment we were carrying at that time.”

Security has been one of the main concerns ahead of the games in Brazil’s capital.

[AP]