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Moroccan Boxer, Hassan Saada, Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Maids In Olympic Village

By Aayush Mahat
Published on: 16:35 PST, Aug 5, 2016

Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada was arrested by the Brazilian police after allegedly assaulting two women who were cleaning the room in the Olympic Village in Brazil.

Rio police have confirmed the allegation and took Hassan Saada, 22, into custody on Friday morning for assaulting two Brazilian maids at the Athletes Village on Wednesday.

According to the media, police said that a magistrate has delayed the case for 15 days for further investigation while keeping the athlete in preventative custody.

According to the BBC, Hassan Saada, who is married, called the maids to his room and sexually assaulted one of them. He tried to squeeze her breast and kiss her. He even offered her money to perform the sexual favors. Two other athletes were in the same room, but neither were found to be involved.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, police deputy Carolina Salomao released a statement.

“We hope this will serve as an example. It’s a great disrespect, independent of the culture. It’s the law that counts.

“There are rumors there have been other cases in the Olympic Village.”

Speaking to the media, the Rio Olympic Committee confirmed that they were unaware of the assault and are under process to deter such activities during the Olympic time.

It is now confirmed that Hassan Saada is likely to miss his fight scheduled for Saturday.

He was accused of the sexual harassment on Thursday and was arrested following the order from Judge Larissa Nunes Saly of special Rio de Janeiro state court, created in 2013 especially for big events that include sports.

Judge Larissa Nunes said the law is intended for both Brazilian and outsiders, and no one is allowed to go past law in any cases.

Sadda, a light heavyweight boxer, was taken to a police station where his Olympic badge was taken off. Detective Caroline Solomon confirmed that they have stripped him of his Olympic competitor status.

Solomon further added that the police are investigating the case and questioning other athletes as part of their investigations.

For further investigation and interrogation, Hassan was taken to prison in the Polinter district of Rio de Janeiro.

If Hassan Saada is found guilty of the sexual assault, he will be in prison for six to 10 years. He was due to fight Turkish boxer Mehmet Nadaradade Unal.

Police said Saada allegedly invited one of the women to take a selfie with him and asked her if she had a profile on social media. He was trying to kiss her and pushed the woman against the wall.

He even tried to squeeze her breasts and allegedly made sexual gestures towards the maid. Police reported that both women were frightened and angry by the incident.

The International Boxing Association said that Brazilian authorities will handle the matter and will not comment further on the case.

In the last year’s AFBC African Confederation Boxing Championships, Sadda won the bronze medal.

The Rio Olympics opened on Friday with fireworks forming the word “Rio” in the sky as the city welcomed the world to the first ever Olympic games in South American soil. Athletes and fans from all over the globe participated in an event at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Gustavo Kuerten, the three-time French Open champion and tennis star, entered the stadium with the Olympic torch while Vandelei Cordeiro de Lima lit the flame, all in absence of Pele, who missed out because of his health condition.

With all eyes set in Rio for weeks, such allegations and attacks can mislead the prestigious games during the Olympic. For the next two weeks, Rio will be busy with the festive mood that will host 42 championships over 17 days in front of millions in a global audience.

[Photo by Matthew Stockman/Staff/Getty Images]

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