The Hula Report - New Woes for Lying Swimmers

(ATR) The four U.S. swimmers entangled in the web of lies spun from their dawn cab ride back to the Olympic Village will be hearing from the U.S. Olympic Committee soon after the Games end.

(Getty Images)A USOC official tells Around the Rings disciplinary action "will be considered when we get back."

At stake could be the $25,000 gold medal bonus for Ryan Lochte from the USOC. He and his teammates – Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, James Feigen – could face sanctions from USA Swimming as well.

The price Lochte may pay for Rio episode could be long-term, with sponsors shunning the Olympian over his behavior. Bottom line could be millions.

For the USOC, the transgressions are more than an embarrassing breach of the code of conduct all athletes must sign. With a campaign for the 2024 Summer Olympics to be decided a year from now, boorish behavior by athletes does not help the image of the U.S.

Pat Hickey in Prison

The shock must be overwhelming for Patrick Hickey as he begins this next to last day of the Olympics in a maximum security prison in Bangu, 30km west of Rio. Wednesday morning police rousted him at dawn from his room at the seaside IOC hotel and charged him with involvement in a scheme to sell 700 Rio 2016 tickets allocated to the Olympic Council of Ireland.

Hickey was taken to the prison Friday after a judge refused bail. He spent Wednesday and Thursday in hospital before being taken to a police station for questioning.

In the aftermath of his arrest Hickey has temporarily resigned all of his Olympic functions, from president of the Olympic Council of Ireland to his IOC membership.

The OCI issued a statement Friday that it will conduct an independent review of the ticketing program. The OCI statement also noted that Hickey is now being represented by his own counsel, not furnished by the NOC.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Hickey was not receiving legal support from the organization and confirmed the end of the 800 Euro per diem Hickey received as a member of the Executive Board.

Adams stressed that Hickey deserves the presumption of innocence. Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said that presumption is also a cornerstone of Brazilian law.

Saturday will be IOC president Thomas Bach's first opportunity to comment and commiserate about Hickey's situation when he conducts his closing press conference for the Rio Olympics.

King at the Games

He’s a legendary sports fan in The Netherlands. Maybe Fan #1 for the Dutch. King Willem Alexander has been in Rio to cheer on the Orange ever since the Games began two weeks ago. He stepped down from his stint as an IOC member when he stepped up to the throne. He is now an honorary IOC member.

With the family in tow, he’s a fixture at events where the Dutch are competing. Friday he was at boxing, where Nouchka Fontijn won her semi-final match. Then the king and kids trundled off to Deodoro where their luck ran out. The Netherlands took the silver in women’s field hockey.

Saturday's Medals

Saturday's competition features the first opportunities for medals in women's basketball, mountain bike cycling, handball, rhythmic gymnastics, women's triathlon and indoor volleyball.

Saturday also marks the final day of competition for badminton, canoe sprint, diving, men's football, women's golf, modern pentathlon, taekwondo and water polo.

The men's football gold medal match between host country Brazil and Germany and the final round of women's golf and its return to the Olympics are two of the most anticipated events on Saturday.

Meteorology

Expect warm weather on Saturday for the second to last day of competition at Rio 2016 with temperatures reaching a high of 31c and a low of 22c.

The final day of the Olympics will likely feature heavy rain in the afternoon with temperatures reaching 26c. However, the rain is unlikely to dampen the Olympic spirit as organizers wrap-up the Games with the closing ceremony late Sunday evening.

Written by Ed Hula.

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