Brazilian Pan Am Athlete faces Charges

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An athlete from the Pan Am games is wanted by the Toronto police for an alleged sexual assault. Police say 27 year old Thye Bezerra, a member of the Brazilian silver medal waterpolo team, is now the subject an international arrest warrant.

It is a shocking allegation and unfortunately, the athlete is no longer in Canada. Police say that Bezerra and a teammate were with two young women in a downtown Toronto residence in the early morning hours of July 16th, when one of the women was attacked. Bezerra left Canada later that same day with his Brazilian teammates and is now believed to be in Moscow for the water waterpolo championships.

Toronto police have begun their efforts to bring Bezerra back to Canada to face the charges against him, but it could be a lengthy process. It was clear from the questions posed by Brazilian journalists, the laws and definitions of sexual assault may be different in both questions.

And to complicate things even more, is the international embarrassment of a prominent athlete facing criminal charges, just months before he is scheduled to appear in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.