Police have arrested and charged a man for allegedly stealing four Olympic medals belonging to Australian rower Drew Ginn. But the medals – three gold and a silver – are still missing.
The 47-year-old man, who was wanted on a warrant over the alleged theft, was arrested on Wednesday in Brunswick, a northern suburb of Melbourne. Authorities said Ginn’s medals were believed to have been stolen from the back of a Land Rover parked in the Victorian capital about a week ago.
A GoPro camera, headphones and a wetsuit were also stolen, with police saying Ginn had left them along with the medals inside his car during a speaking engagement at a school.
Ginn is one of Australia’s most decorated Olympic athletes and was a member of the champion rowing crew known as “The Oarsome Foursome.”
He won the medals during a nearly two decade Olympic career that began at the 1996 games in Atlanta and continued through to the London Olympics in 2012.
“They’ve got a lot of value for family and friends… but you can’t insure them,” Ginn told public broadcaster ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday.
“They were hidden away in the car but the car was ransacked completely so lots of stuff was broken and destroyed,” he added.
The 49-year-old voiced hope that, rather than being sold, the medals might find their way back to their rightful owner.
“There might be a market out there for this kind of thing but you’d hope sensibility would play out and, in the end, I know other medals have been returned in years gone by so we hope that that happens in this case,” Ginn said.
Police have released a photo of the medals and asked people to keep an eye out in case they are seen for sale at pawn shops or online platforms.
The alleged thief has been charged with theft from a motor vehicle, obtaining property by deception, obtaining financial advantage by deception and handling stolen goods.
