Champion Swimmer Ryan Lochte to Meet Fans at Wizard World Comic Con Richmond

World champion swimmer Ryan Lochte will make one of his first scheduled public appearances since returning from South America at Wizard World Comic Con Richmond on Saturday, September 10. Lochte will greet fans, sign a limited number of free autographs and pose for free "selfies" as well as paid professional photo ops from 11:30-4 p.m. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Lochte has become a transcendent figure in the sports world, with 12 championships on the world's biggest stage. He is the current world record holder in the 200 and 400 individual medley and has been named both American and World Swimmer of the Year twice in his career (2010 & 2011) and has a total of 80 medals in major international competition including 53 first place finishes. As a Florida Gator, Ryan was a two-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year, 24-time NCAA All-American, and 7-time NCAA Champion.

At the 2015 World Championships, Ryan made history with his fourth consecutive victory in the 200-meter IM.

Ryan's accomplishments in the pool along with his committed fan base (1 million+ Twitter followers, 570k+ Facebook fans and 397k+ Instagram followers) have helped him gain pop culture status outside the pool. He has made cameos on episodes of 30 Rock and Beverly Hills 90210, as well as appearing on People's 2012 'Sexiest Man Alive' list.

Ryan's reality television show, "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?," debuted on E! in April 2013. The show followed his life in training.

He adds to an already exciting, varied cast of celebrities at Wizard World Comic Con Richmond which includes Nichelle Nichols ("Star Trek"), Jewel Staite (Firefly, "Serenity"), Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules," "Andromeda"), Gene Simmons (frontman, KISS), John Schneider and Catherine Bach ("The Dukes of Hazzard"), Sam Jones (Ted, Ted 2), James Marsters ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Caprica"), and Sara Underwood ("Attack of the Show!"). The pop culture extravaganza, the 14th event on Wizard World's 2016 calendar.

Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World Richmond show hours are Friday, September 9, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, September 10, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, September 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wizard World is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character - and some never before dreamed - will roam the convention floor. The famed Wizard World Richmond Costume Contest will take place on Saturday night.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Richmond, visit http://wizd.me/RichmondPR.

About Wizard World (OTCBB:WIZD) Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store (www.shopwizardworld.com), Wizard World Music (http://www.wizardworldmusic.com/), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm (NASDAQ:CIDM), and ComicConBox (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media services.

The Wizard World 2016 schedule is available at: http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/.