US Olympic swimmer apologises for false robbery claims in Rio

US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, who claimed that he was robbed at gunpoint in a Rio taxi, has apologised for his behaviour.

However, Lochte may face punishment after the International Olympic Committee announced they would be setting up a disciplinary panel to investigate the incident.

Writing on his Twitter account, Lochte said he was sorry for "not being more careful and candid in how I described the events".

He also apologised for "taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics."

His statement comes after his teammate Jimmy Feigen donated $11,000 (£8,200) to a Brazilian charity after falsely claiming they were robbed as they returned to the Athlete's village.

Lochte, Feigen and teammates Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger said that they had been robbed by gunmen impersonating police officers.

But police investigating the claims said they believed the Olympians made up the story and instead had vandalised a petrol station.

They released CCTV images showing them causing damage to the petrol station.

Describing the incident as "traumatic", Lochte said: "Regardless of the behaviour of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself."

He apologised to his teammates, fans and fellow competitors and said the incident had helped him learn "valuable lessons".

Lochte, who won gold for the 4200m freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Conor Dwyer and Townley Haas, said: "I am very proud to represent my country in the Olympic competition and this was a situation that could and should have been avoided."

Lochte has since returned to the US alongside his teammates Conger and Bentz. Feigen remains in Brazil.

The US Olympic Committee has apologised and branded the behaviour of the four swimmers "unacceptable".