British Olympics hero Sir Ben Ainslie was robbed of a watch worth almost £17,000 in Barcelona over the weekend. A gang of knife-wielding thieves are said to have cornered Sir Ben before taking his Rolex and fleeing the scene.

The 47-year-old is in the Catalan city to lead the Ineos Britannia team at the America's Cup. He reported the incident, which occurred on Saturday, to local police in Barcelona on Monday.

After the theft, Sir Ben told The Telegraph: "Barcelona is a fantastic host city for the America’s Cup, and the team has felt welcomed and is enjoying our stay in this vibrant city.

"Like in all big cities, you can be affected by opportunistic crime and my situation is no different. This matter is now with the local authorities."

Authorities in Barcelona have created a specialised team to deal with high-end watch thefts after a spate of similar incidents in recent years.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski saw his £59,000 watch stolen two years ago when a thief, posing as a fan, snatched it from his wrist while the Polish international signed autographs for supporters.

Police have said that a total of 229 luxury watches were reported stolen in 2022, equating to more than one every other day, as the city's reputation as a pick-pocketing haven continues to grow.

Sir Ben is the most successful sailor in Olympics history, winning medals in five consecutive Games and golds in four, as he stood at the top of the podium in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London.

The America's Cup, sailing's oldest international sporting competition, began in Barcelona last week. Since winning gold at London 2012, Sir Ben has made it his mission to win it for Great Britain.

"Winning The America’s Cup is one of the toughest things you can do in sport and that’s the motivation for us as a team," said the Ineos Britannia skipper. "We know it is going to be an incredibly tough challenge, but it is one that we are up for.

"It’s hard to explain just how complex these boats are. We have got over 100,000 components that are all individually modelled and manufactured. It’s like Formula One on steroids when you look at the technical challenge."