Four US Olympic swimmers, including Ryan Lochte, reportedly invented a story about being robbed in Rio in order to cover up causing damage to a petrol station door.

Reports emerged earlier this week that the quartet had been held up by thieves posing as police, having their money and personal belongings stolen.

However, Brazilian police have since found little evidence of that incident occurring and have now released CCTV footage that appears to show the swimmers at the petrol station in question.

The authorities are currently questioning three of the swimmers, but 12-time Olympic medallist Lochte had already returned to the United States before he could be brought in by police.

Rio's police chief has now claimed that the Americans broke the door to a petrol station bathroom and refused to pay the damage before armed security guards were called in to force them to pay.

Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and James Feigen could face charges of falsely communicating a crime.