Winter Olympics: Canadian athlete charged with stealing car, says South Korean police

Pyeongchang: Canadian skier David Duncan was arrested on charges of stealing a car in South Korea, where he was competing at the Winter Olympics, Canadian media reported on Saturday.

Duncan's wife, Maja, and manager, Willy Raine, also were arrested, CBC News and the Canadian Press reported. Raine was charged with impaired driving, they reported.

The three were released on Saturday but restricted from leaving Canada, CBC reported. 

Reuters was unable to confirm the identity of the three suspects. 

A police official in charge of international crime at Gangwon Provincial Police Agency told Reuters on Saturday that a Canadian athlete, his wife and manager had gotten into a car in Pyeongchang that had been left unlocked and unoccupied with the engine running.

The official, who did not identify the suspects by name, said the manager drove off with the car before it was stopped by police. The manager has been charged with drunken driving, the official said.

Once the investigation is complete, the results will be sent to the prosecution, the official said, adding that unless the alleged offence was deemed a serious crime, they would be able to leave the country after paying a fine.

Canadian Olympic Committee CEO Chris Overholt said at a news conference on Saturday that he was aware of the situation but declined to identify the suspects.

"We can confirm that an incident occurred involving the police around midnight Friday or early morning Saturday," Overholt said.

"We have confirmation that individuals attached to our team are involved in the investigation and are cooperating. We take this matter very seriously.

"However, until we know the results of the investigation, we're not really in a position to comment further."