Olympic Gold Medalist Sir Ben Ainslie Robbed in Barcelona

While chasing the America’s Cup in Barcelona as CEO of INEOS Britannia, the world’s most successful Olympic sailor, Sir Ben Ainslie, was robbed of his Rolex watch. He is in Barcelona trying to win the America’s Cup back for Great Britain (which lost the Cup to America in 1851). The Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia reported Sir Ben was threatened with a knife by a group who took his Rolex, worth €20,000 (approximately $22,100), on Saturday night. The BBC reports the robbery took place at a swimming club near the British racing team’s base.

The 47-year-old sailor confirmed the robbery in a statement he gave to BBC News. “Barcelona is a fantastic host city for the America’s Cup. The team has felt welcomed and is enjoying our stay in this vibrant city. Like in all big cities, you can be affected by opportunistic crime and my situation is no different. This is now a matter with the local authorities.”

Sail World editor Richard Gladwell writes that Ainslie lost his Rolex in “a type of robbery which is commonplace in Barcelona” and that the city has set up a “specialised police team in response to the growing problem of watch theft.”

Ainslie was part of a winning America’s Cup campaign, as tactician aboard Oracle Team USA, when they beat New Zealand 9-8 on San Francisco Bay. The four-time gold medalist is now aiming to lead the British crew to a first-ever victory at the America’s Cup beginning with racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup.