Spanish media reported that Sir Ben Ainslie had his Rolex watch stolen at knifepoint ahead of the America’s Cup qualifying races in Barcelona.

The most successful Olympic sailor of all time was threatened with a knife by a group on Saturday evening and his Rolex watch worth 20,000 euros (16,858 pounds) was taken away, the newspaper La Vanguardia reported.

The 47-year-old confirmed the theft in a statement.

The four-time gold medalist wants to lead the British team to its first victory in the America’s Cup.

Sir Ben said in a statement: “Barcelona is a fantastic host city for the America’s Cup. The team has been made to feel welcome and is enjoying our stay in this vibrant city.

“As in all big cities, you can be affected by opportunistic crime and my situation is no different. This is now a matter for the local authorities.”

BBC News has asked its Ineos Britannia team and the Catalan regional police for further details.

On Thursday, Sir Ben will begin racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup – a series of races to decide which boat will face defending champions New Zealand in the America’s Cup in October.

Sir Ben is the team principal and captain of the Britannia team, which is backed by billionaire and Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group.