Days Before Paris Olympics, Shocking Robbery Rocks Defending Cyclist Champion Logan Martin’s Preparations

What do you do when trouble finds you just days before defending your gold medal on the biggest stage of them all? This is a question that Australian BMX celebrity and 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin probably didn’t think about as he geared up for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the world’s biggest sports stars buckling up for another major showdown on the banks of the iconic Seine, Martin now might have to spend some time with the police in Belgium instead of getting acclimatized at the French capital.

Over 14,000 athletes and an expected 15 million fans will descend upon the City of Love to witness high-octane action for the next few weeks. While the cheerleaders are ready to rally behind their favorite stars, 30-year-old Martin is vested across the border over troubling matters.

In his latest series of images and videos on Instagram from hours ago, the BMX star revealed he was met with an unfortunate incident just days before the Paris Games commenced. “Our van got broken into overnight,” reads the caption of the post as Martin can be seen sporting a disappointed look on his face on the streets of Brussels.

“Crazy start to the trip,” says Logan in the accompanying video as he shows how his black van had suffered the brunt of the theft. However, while he lost several personal items, luckily, the Olympian had the clever thought of not leaving his bikes inside the vehicle. Now, Logan will have to recover and get moving. With the 2024 Games just a couple of days away, let’s hope he can shift his focus on the prize, leaving the recent ordeal behind.

Still, Martin was soon able to locate some of his luggage thanks to bag tags. After some searching, the Olympic gold medalist located his things on a park bench. While it was evident, that the bag was rummaged through, Logan was at least happy to get some of the stolen stuff back. The concerning incident has left Morgan and his team justifiably shaken, but they aren’t the only ones who had to face similar unsavory experiences in the French city.

The Paris Olympics arrive with its own set of troubles

Last weekend, reports of a sexual assault on an Australian tourist in Paris sent waves across the world and raised more questions about the safety and security in the City of Love for the 2024 Games. Soon after that, two Nine Entertainment staff members were the targets of a robbery that was reported as of a “serious physical nature,” by The Guardian. “It was clear it was a robbery because they went for the backpacks. There was no weapon used, but there was quite a significant assault,” said Nine reporter Christine Ahern. But these weren’t the end of the list.

Former Argentine soccer player and U23 coach Javier Mascherano alleged earlier today that robbers stole their things from the field while the team was playing against Morocco Paris. “Yesterday they entered training and robbed us. Thiago Almada was missing a watch and rings. In training at the Olympic Games… We didn’t want to say anything, but that’s it. It’s no use,” Mascherano stated.

Hopefully, these things won’t become the defining aspect of the Paris Olympics, and the authorities will be able to put a hold on the criminal elements that seem to take all the advantages of the iconic city being filled with unaware visitors.