America's Cup: Ainslie robbed of watch at knifepoint in Barcelona
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World 29 Aug 2024 11:23 NZST
Sir Ben Ainslie speaking at yhe Opening Media Conference for the Louis Vuitton Cup - Barcelona - August 28, 2024 © Ivo Rovira
British and Spanish media are reporting that INEOS Britannia skipper Sir Ben Ainslie, has been robbed at knifepoint in Barcelona.
The thieves took his €20,000 Rolex watch in a type of robbery which is commonplace in Barcelona.
The incident occurred on Saturday and was not reported to the Police until Monday when racing in the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta had concluded.
The incident was not mentioned at the Opening Media Conference on Wednesday.
However a Spanish news outlet El Periodico says in an auto-translate from Spanish "the assault took place on Monday night near the Barceloneta Swimming Club, close to the INEOS sports facilities, when several people threatened Ainslie with a knife to take the watch he was wearing. They did so by violently ripping it off his wrist, according to some sources.
"The Mossos are investigating this violent robbery after the victim filed a complaint with the police unit linked to this sailing competition. The regional police are responsible for public safety tasks, among other functions, and have therefore reinforced their presence in the areas of the Barcelona coast."
Barcelona has set up a specialised police team in response to the growing problem of watch theft.
The Mossos Catalan police force’s Titani unit deploys plain clothes officers on the streets of Barcelona to catch criminals in the act, while other agents investigate reported robberies and the gangs involved, the Telegraph says.
In the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro two Australian Olympic team members, dressed in team uniform were robbed of their bikes during a ride through a park. Authorities warned Olympic team members and others about dressing conspicuously or showing ostentatious wealth, and generally keeping a low profile in public.