Rio opening ceremony features Gisele Bundchen 'mugging'

RIO DE JANEIRO: The opening ceremony at the Rio Olympics will feature a shocking scene in which former supermodel Gisele Bundchen suffers an attempted mugging, then takes pity on the young thief, media reports said Monday.
Details are top secret ahead of this Friday's ceremony.
However, there have been widespread leaks following a dress rehearsal at Rio's Maracana stadium late Sunday, despite pleas from organizers to keep it under wraps.
And there was immediate controversy after multiple reports from inside the legendary football stadium that one scene depicts Bundchen in a simulated mugging – a crime that in real life plagues the host city.
According to Folha de Sao Paulo daily, the Brazilian model struts out to Girl from Ipanema, a classic hit song celebrating a beautiful, young woman of Rio, and is "assaulted by an actor."
"The final message from the scene, however, will be peace," the report said.
One of the show's masterminds, City of God movie director Fernando Meirelles, angrily denied the report.
"Folha de SP says Gisele is assaulted during the opening ceremony at the Olympics. Where does Folha get this dumb idea from? They messed up badly," he tweeted.
The Olympic organizing committee told AFP in a statement only that "there is no robbery," declining to explain further.
'Strange homage to Rio'
Despite Meirelles' denial, the news site olimpiadas.uol.com.br also reported that the model is "approached by an actor in a scene resembling an assault."
"The boy (mugger) approaches the artist and is chased by policemen before returning close to Gisele and being protected by her," the report said.
O Dia newspaper, which often reports on violent crime in Rio, commented that the scene stood out in the "beautiful and perfect" dress rehearsal.
"In the middle of her walk, Gisele is attacked by a kid! That's right: assaulted!"
"Suddenly two police seize the kid and, like in a film with a happy ending, Gisele embraces the assailant and everyone celebrates. This seems like a strange homage to Rio. And it is!" O Dia concluded.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed cast member in the ceremony as saying that the scene spoils the whole show. "We have complained," the participant said. "I hope it does not go ahead."
Bundchen retired from the runway in 2015 as the world's highest paid model. Married to NFL star quarterback Tom Brady, she remains active in fashion and is one of Brazil's biggest celebrities.
Rio de Janeiro is hosting South America's first Olympic Games. Security is a major issue, with thousands of troops patrolling the streets, as well as heavily reinforced police.
According to official statistics, murders in Rio de Janeiro state rose 17% to 2,470 in the first half of this year. Street robberies rocketed, up 34% to 58,999 incidents.
Depictions of police in action would likely raise eyebrows.
Rio state officers killed at least 645 people last year and over 8,000 over the last decade, Human Rights Watch said in a study last month. They are also accused of frequently tampering with evidence to cover up killings by officers. — AFP