Swimmer Ryan Lochte cleared of charges after false robbery at Rio Olympics

A criminal case against US swimmer Ryan Lochte, who was charged with making a false robbery report during the Rio Olympics,  has been dismissed by a Brazilian court.

Lochte told NBC he and other members of the American swim team were “robbed at gunpoint” while returning to the Olympic Village on August 15 last year.

Video released soon after showed the athletes had been in a confrontation with security guards at a petrol station and were not robbed.

A court in Sao Paulo, Brazil, confirmed to The New York Times today the criminal case against Lochte has been thrown out.

The 32-year-old swimmer’s claim to the NBC did “not constitute filing a fake report,” the statement to the Times said.

Lochte admitted he was intoxicated at the time of the Rio incident and was handed a 10-month suspension from the national swimming team.

The 12-time Olympic medallist is now eligible to swim again.