The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Ryan Lochte, but the controversial swimmer is set to make his first public appearance since the incident in Rio at this year’s Wizard World Richmond.
Lochte will be on hand to greet fans, take pictures, and sign autographs from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 10th. He’ll appear alongside celebrities like Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek), Jewel Staite (Firefly), Kevin Sorbo (Andromeda), Gene Simmons (KISS), John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard, Smallville), Catherine Bach (Dukes of Hazzard), Sam Jones (Ted 2), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel), and Sara Underwood (Attack of the Show).
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The convention will run from Friday, September 9th to Sunday, September 11th, and you can find out more about the show on their official website.
It will be interesting to see fan reaction to Lochte’s appearance at the show, as the swimmer has been surrounded by media scrutiny ever since he and some teammates fabricated a tale of robbery at gunpoint while in Rio. It ultimately turned out that the inebriated olympian had vandalized the bathroom of a local gas station, and was apprehended by security. The resulting fallout has cost Lochte goodwill from the Olympic committee as well as endorsements, like the one he lost recently in Speedo. They released a statement after officially releasing him.
“While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for,” Speedo USA explained. “We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience.”
Still, his past accomplishments are extremely noteworthy, as he’s won 12 championships at the Olympics, and has 80 medals to his name, which include 53 first place finishes.
