In less than 2 months the entire world is scheduled to descend on Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics. I’ve never been there, but I hear Rio is a beautiful place, with beautiful people. But behind all this beauty lies health scares, scandal, and financial instability. Can they pull it off?
First we heard about the contaminated water off of the coast of Rio. As many of you know there are several open water events held during the Olympic games (e.g. swimming, kayaking, etc.). The water quality tests reveal the equivalent of sewage being in the water. Anyone who knows anything about water quality knows that you don’t want to come into contact with raw sewage. It caries disease and can cause major health risks. While the Rio government says that the water is safe, and the events will go on, we can only wonder what, or if there will be any lingering affects for the participants.
And then there’s the Zika virus. This has serious potential health risks for everyone, especially pregnant woman. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie has decided not to cover the games due to the risk of the Zika virus. Champion golfer Rory McElroy has also bowed out due to the threat of Zika. Will there be more?
Just recently we learned that Jamaican sprinter Kemar Bailey-Cole had contracted the Zika virus. While he still plans to participate in the Jamaican Olympic trials, what are the risks for him and other countrymen that he comes in contact with?
And while we know the imminent danger to pregnant women with regard to birth defects, what are the long term affects of this virus and those who contract it, and the children who are born with it. Is the world community being given all of the information it needs to combat this virus? We shall see.
