News

Athlete Tweets About Rio Olympics Kidnapping Are Officially A Mess

REUTERS

I mean, are you surprised?

The countdown to the Rio 2016 Olympics started weeks ago, but there's a reason you haven't been reading much about the hype: Everything's falling to shit.

Now, with just days to go until the opening ceremony, stories are circulating about unsafe buildings in the Olympic village, cocaine rings and crime in Brazil.

But, the most alarming story comes from Jason Lee, a jiu-jitsu athlete from New Zealand.

He's not competing in the Olympics, but is over in Brazil at the moment.

A couple of days ago, he tweeted this.

While he was driving in Rio de Janeiro, he was reportedly stopped by what he claims were armed policemen.

They reportedly made him pull over on the opposite side of the highway and bundled him into an unmarked police car, Stuff reports.

From there, he was driven to a number of ATMs where he said he was forced to withdraw hundreds of dollars.

Lee said,

These guys have pulled me over, they have weapons. I'm not in any position to negotiate. At this point I acknowledged to myself that I've completely backed myself into a corner.

If a martial arts master isn't safe, surely no one is!

Jason's no stranger to the dangers of Brazil; he's lived there for a while. But, he added that things are definitely getting worse in the lead up to the Rio games.

Citations: Kiwi sportsman Jason Lee 'kidnapped' in Brazil (Stuff)