The suspension was handed down by the U.S. Olympic Committee
and USA Swimming, USA Today reported, citing an unnamed source.
Celebrity gossip website TMZ, citing unnamed sources, also
reported the suspension. No further details were available.
Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. Neither the
U.S. Olympic Committee nor USA Swimming immediately responded to
requests for comment.
Lochte, 32, was dropped by four of his major sponsors after
admitting he "overexaggerated" a tale about being robbed and
held at gunpoint with the three other swimmers after a party
during the Rio Olympics.
Brazilian authorities said the group destroyed a bathroom and
urinated in public, and have recommended that Lochte be charged
with falsely reporting a crime.
USA Today also reported that the three other swimmers were
suspended, although for shorter lengths of time, and that Lochte
would be banned from a championship swim meet in Budapest in
2017.
Late last month, ABC television said Lochte was joining the cast
of "Dancing With the Stars," a competition in which celebrities
are paired with professional ballroom dancers.
That announcement came as the gold medalist said he thought
reaction to his Rio de Janeiro tale had been blown out of
proportion.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Mark Lamport-Stokes
in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Cooney)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|