Australian olympian robbed in Brussels ahead of Paris games

An Australian athlete en route to the Olympic Games in Paris made a stop in Brussels. Criminals targeted the van he was travelling in. The athlete's personal belongings were stolen from the vehicle. The thieves didn’t even spare the chocolate.

Australian BMX star Logan Martin was a victim of theft. His van became the target of criminals who stole Martin's personal belongings, including his wallet and backpack. The athlete confirmed the incident on social media. In his post, he showed a broken window, emphasizing that his valuable bicycles were not taken by the thieves.

Our van got broken into overnight. Luckily most of our stuff was in our room and we managed to recover a lot of it too. I lost my wallet, backpack and a few other things but overall it didn’t end up being too bad. It’s unfortunate when people feel the need to do things like this. – Martin said in one of the recordings.

The athlete and his team managed to find some of the stolen items. In a video posted on Instagram, suitcases and bags that the thieves had abandoned in one of Brussels' squares can be seen. The video shows that they managed to recover helmets, gloves, and other items.

In the recording, a member of Martin’s team noticed that the thieves had taken the chocolate, which was in large supply in the stolen bags.

This is a crazy start to the journey – quips the gold medallist from Tokyo.

The Australian Olympian’s post saw many comments. "Welcome to Europe" - wrote Sheim Paillard, who practises the same sport, along with several other commentators. "A normal day in Brussels" - added another user. In a similar tone, another commentator mentioned that he is “even afraid to leave his car in a larger city like Brussels.”

Others speculated that the theft was the work of competitors. "Team USA is back to their old tricks" - reads one of the posts, which approaches the matter with significant humour.