(Reuters) – Australia’s NBA player Patty Mills said he plans to hire personal security at the Rio Olympics to ensure the safety of his family after a Paralympic sailor and team official from his country were robbed at gunpoint in the host city. Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. Australia’s Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said the incident was a “light warning” and that she had written to the Rio organizing committee and mayor demanding action.
“Obviously you can’t ignore that stuff. We have got some stuff together with our family to make sure they are looked after,” Mills, who plays for San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, told News Corp. “It is an Olympics and you want to make sure you share that experience with your family and friends as much as you can.
“Definitely I am putting some focus into that to make sure they are looked after and healthy.”
Asked if he would take a bodyguard to Rio, Mills said: “Yeah, over in America we have got some people connected to make sure they are looked after.”
(Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
Reuters
