RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Fans missed the start of the men's Olympic basketball contest between Nigeria and Spain on Thursday after an unattended backpack was found in the arena, triggering a security alert and a controlled detonation of the bag.
Television images showed the players, including Spanish NBA star Pau Gasol, starting play against the backdrop of tiers of empty seats after security held back crowds from entering the arena.
The backpack was carried away by a robot and detonated, a spokesman for Rio 2016 confirmed. Detonating unattended bags has been common this Games amid concerns over security at South America's first Olympics.