Australia bans athletes from Rio beaches at night

RIO DE JANEIRO — Citing a spike in petty thefts along Rio's iconic beaches, the Australian Olympic Committee on Sunday ordered its athletes to stay off the sand from sunset to sundown.

The Olympians are still allowed to walk along the crowded beachfront sidewalks and frequent the bars and restaurants that stay open late along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. But the committee doesn't want them taking moonlight walks along the sand, which can get very dark in parts with minimal lighting and security around.

The ban follows a series of security scares at the Games, including Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers getting robbed at gunpoint while they were in a taxi riding back to the athletes' village.

Australians have also had a rough run in Rio. Two members of its Paralympic sailing squad were robbed at gunpoint as they prepared for the Games in June. Thieves stole a laptop and Zika-protective team shirts from the Olympic team during a fire evacuation in the athletes' village. And on the night before the opening ceremony, two Australian Olympic rowing coaches were robbed at knifepoint while walking to their hotel.

Ryan Lochte robbed at gunpoint in Rio

Those instances have led Australia's delegation to complain of inadequate protection from Rio police and Olympic officials. On Sunday, chef de mission Kitty Chiller told its athletes to take it upon themselves to remain safe.

That included orders to always travel in groups of at least three people, to only travel in vehicles, to only take accredited taxis, to avoid wearing team uniforms while traveling in Rio and to stay off Rio's beaches from 6 pm to 6 am.

"The team managers are doing a great job, but we reiterated the importance of someone within the team knowing where the athletes are at any point in time," Chiller said Sunday, according to ESPN.

Rio officials have fought back against the Australian delegation, complaining about its decision to bar athletes from visiting Rio’s infamous favelas, ungoverned communities spread throughout the city.

“There is a lot of ignorance about Rio and Brazil, a certain drama of how things are,” Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said before the Games, according to the Associated  Press. “Just between us, the Australian committee has been a source of aggressions to Brazil. And we love Sydney.”

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