Paris Olympics Prone to Theft, Athletes’ Belongings Targeted

Paris, Beritasatu.com – Before the official opening, the 2024 Paris Olympics continue to receive complaints from athletes and participants regarding thefts at residences and training venues.

Recently, midfielder Thiago Almada of the Argentina U-23 national team lost assets worth US$ 54,000 (around Rp. 879 million) stolen, including a watch, ring, and several other personal items. The incident occurred during a training session on July 23, 2024, before the opening match of football in group B, between Argentina vs Morocco.

“They came into our training area and stole our things. Thiago lost his watch, his ring and many other things,” said Argentina U-23 coach Javier Mascherano.

According to him, the incident had an impact on the psychology of the players.

The theft of Almada’s belongings took place in Lyon, where Argentina’s U-23 team is based. However, local authorities said there were no signs of a break-in. Before Mascherano reported the incident, Almada filed a theft report with the police and was asked to make a list of all the stolen property.

Earlier, the Australian BMX team also reported theft. Athlete Logan Martin, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist, shared on social media that his team’s equipment truck had its windows smashed and belongings stolen in an area of ​​Belgium.

“Last night our truck was broken into. Luckily the bike wasn’t in it, but my bike bag and some of my belongings were gone,” Martin said.

Luckily, thanks to a tracking device attached to his suitcase, Martin managed to find some of the stolen items, including a massage table and a helmet. However, his wallet, backpack, shoes and several other items were missing.

In a video posted on Instagram, Martin filmed his belongings strewn under a tree, next to a pile of rubbish. The video also showed members of the Australian sports delegation working with police to resolve the incident.

On July 23, two members of an Olympic broadcasting crew from an Australian television channel were also attacked in a botched robbery in Le Bourget, northeast of Paris. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon Paris time, when the two technical staff were on their way back to their accommodation. A group of men tried to snatch their backpacks. In the struggle, the two were attacked, and were lucky to escape and report the incident to the police.

Early Sunday morning, an Australian female athlete was sexually assaulted in a Paris nightlife district. The incident prompted the Australian Olympic Committee to advise athletes not to travel alone and to limit the use of Olympic uniforms when traveling.

At the Paris Olympics, authorities deployed about 45,000 police and security officers. They employed 20,000 private security staff and 15,000 military personnel for security.