The performance of Ingrid Oliveira and Giovanna Pedroso at the Rio Games was overshadowed by a sex scandal involving a Brazilian canoeist. Photo / Getty
The performance of Ingrid Oliveira and Giovanna Pedroso at the Rio Games was overshadowed by a sex scandal involving a Brazilian canoeist. Photo / Getty
A Brazilian diver has opened up on the sex scandal that rocked the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and made headlines around the globe.
Ingrid Oliveira split with then teenaged teammate Giovanna Pedroso after allegedly banning her from their room in the Olympic village so she could have sex with Brazilian canoeist Pedro Goncalves.
Oliveira, 22, and Pedroso finished last in the women's 10-metre synchronised platform dive in what media described as a "pathetic" performance.
They ended their partnership soon after.
In an interview with UOL Esporte, Oliveira admitted having sex with Goncalves but denied she had kicked her roommate out.
"I took Pedro to my room but it wasn't the day before my dive as has been reported or the day before his competition. He didn't spend the night with me and I didn't banish anyone from the room," Oliveira said.
"People don't know, but in the Olympics it's normal. You should have seen the number of condoms that were distributed in the Olympic Village.
"They were everywhere, including the canteen, and they weren't there for people to make balloons."
Ingrid Oliveira (left) and Giovanna Pedroso finished last at Rio and split up soon after. Photo / Getty
Oliveira and Goncalves started talking on social media in 2015 and met in person at the start of the Rio Games, Oliveira said.
"People meet once, twice. Before the opening ceremony I talked to Giovanna, who I was sharing a room with, and said I was going to take him there.
"She let me; it wasn't something only I did, she and a lot of others also did the same thing in several competitions. I never imagined the fallout it would cause," she told UOL Esporte.
Oliveira described the days and weeks after the rendezvous became public as "horrible" and admitted she had "tortured" herself.
"What I did was wrong and I am aware of that. But the treatment I received was totally unjust and the story was completely distorted."
She received severe social media abuse and offers to appear in pornography.
Brazilian canoeist Pedro Goncalves met Ingrid Oliveira at the start of the Rio Olympics. Photo / Getty
"I received pornography. I received proposals to do sex programmes, not TV programmes. And I lost work. I was attacked around the world.
"On my Instagram, as well as a lot of insults, there were some very disgusting things written, without going into the number of naked photos I was messaged.
"One even asked me, 'How much would you charge to have sex with me?' It made me furious. It was ridiculous."
Oliveira is currently preparing for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
