Boxer Saada Hassan of Morocco who is competing in the 81 kg category poses after a training session at the Riocentro complex in Rio de Janeiro prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 1, 2016. / AFP / YURI CORTEZ (Photo credit should read YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Brazilian police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer on allegations of trying to rape two Brazilian maids at the Olympic Village, authorities said Friday.
Hassan Saada, 22, was arrested and detained under a temporary warrant at the request of the Rio de Janeiro police. The warrant is valid for 15 days.
Saada’s attorney, Paulo Freitas Ribeiro, said his client denied any wrongdoing during an official statement to the local police.
Saada, a light heavyweight, was scheduled to fight Saturday against Turkish boxer Nadir Mehmet Unal.
Ribeiro tried to obtain a release order to enable Saada to make the fight but was apparently unsuccessful. Saturday’s boxing results showed the 23-year-old Unal was declared victor in a “walkover,” meaning he won by default after Saada did not appear for the contest.
In the arrest warrant, Judge Larissa Nunes Saly considered the detention necessary because the athlete doesn’t have a fixed residence in Brazil.
Nourddine ben Abdelnbi, head of the Moroccan Mission at the games, said the alleged incident happened three days ago when maids were cleaning the room where five boxers were staying.
Saada contended their only interaction occurred when one of the maids asked him for a Moroccan flag, Abdelnbi said.
Abdelnbi said that while Saada is in Brazilian custody he is not formally arrested on charges. He is in what Abdelnbi described as “interrogation sessions.”
The Moroccan delegation believes Saada is innocent and is awaiting the results of the investigation, Abdelnbi said.
Agencia Brasil, Brazil’s official news agency, reported the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee was aware of the case and will cooperate with the police investigation.
The athlete’s arrest is the latest controversy for the Games.
A series of Russian athletes have been banned from competing in Rio for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Authorities banned 118 competitors of the 389-strong Russian team — though that is still considered a victory for a nation that the independent World Anti-Doping Agency accused of having a state-sponsored doping program.
There are also concerns about the Zika virus, crime and contaminated water that could pose health risks to athletes participating in certain events.
Australia’s Olympic delegation initially refused to move into the Olympic Village for reasons that included blocked toilets, leaky pipes and exposed wires.
