Australia’s Olympic team chief said Tuesday the team was aware of an Australian woman’s rape allegations in Paris, and urged the country’s athletes to be more vigilant during the Paris Games amid heightened security concerns.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said police are investigating allegations made by a 25-year-old Australian woman that she was gang-raped over the weekend.
She said she reported the incident after taking refuge in a restaurant in northern Paris, where emergency services attended to her.
Australian Olympic team leader Anna Meares said at a news conference that the team was aware of the allegations.
“We haven’t had a lot of details and information, and the information we are conveying to our athletes is that the security presence is very high,” she said.
“We have not received any feedback from our athletes that they feel unsafe. We encourage them, if they go out of the village, not to go out alone, not to wear team uniforms, just wear normal clothes.”
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games is set to take place on the banks of the River Seine on Friday amid tight security.
French officials said there had been no direct threats from armed groups against the games, but petty crime and violence remained a concern for the thousands of tourists expected to flock to the French capital for the games.
