IOC rules out viral testing of Rio’s Olympic waters

IOC coordinating commission chairperson Nawal El Moutawakel was responding to independent reports that the city’s waters contained dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria. “They didn’t see a peak with that one so it seems to be a normal situation”.

Saying it was hard to parse out what, exactly, the Olympic water cleanup promises had entailed, the IOC’s Dubi suggested that while the games may not lead to a solution to Rio’s water pollution debacle, at least the recent media spotlight had helped call attention to the problem.

Test events of course are not the Olympic Games, but I don’t think they came up, Agberto Guimaraes (Rio 2016 Director of Sports) is here and he can confirm that.

The 49FX category will pit Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze against another strong New Zealand pair, 2013 world champions Alex Maloney and Molly Meech, who have previously complained about pollution levels on the Bay.

Despite her upbeat mood, the news conference was dominated by questions about Rio’s sewage pollution.

In two separate emailed statements following the AP’s July 30 publication about its study, the World Health Organization said it was advising the global Olympic Committee “to widen the scientific base of indicators to include viruses”. It’s only when the viral numbers are factored in that the venues look like the contaminated dumps that they are.

El Moutawakel dismissed concerns over heavily polluted water in the areas of the Olympic rowing and sailing events.

Meanwhile, a female single sculler who capsized and even “consumed some amount of lake water… had not yet shown any symptoms of illness”, Merry said.

In the meantime, last summer’s World Cup in Brazil offered free advertising that the Olympics would be arriving in the country in 2016. The waters have been a controversial topic since the announcement that the games would be hosted there.

They will act as role models for the athletes competing at Rio 2016 in the build-up, attending various Team GB events and offering advice to the athletes and their families. “It will continue until the Games and it will continue after the Games”, said Dubi.

Speaking on Tuesday off the flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a top IOC meeting took place last week, Bach said, “I’m very confident that in one year we will all be overwhelmed by a wonderful opening ceremony and by the hospitality of the Brazilians”.

The President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, said: “This was the most important Coordination Commission that we have had so far”.

Please, Ms. Moutawakel and other esteemed members of the IOC, please go right ahead.