Olympic Athletes to compete in ‘basically raw sewage’

Beyond the major locations of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Salvador, Brazil boasts a number of major tourist attractions, ranging from its famous beaches to the natural beauties of the Pantanal wetlands and the Iguazu Falls, as well as the vast Amazon rainforest.

Streams are filled with raw waste, fed by open air ditches which in turn run into the beaches and coastlines of Olympic water sites.

“This is by far the worst water quality we’ve seen in our sailing careers”, said coach Ivan Bulaja from the Austrian team, who says his sailors have lost valuable training days to illness in the time they have spent on Guanabara Bay.

The Rio de Janeiro environmental agency said in a statement it questioned the AP’s testing.

The AP test, which covered five months, found waters unfit for water-based sporting events. It showed that Olympic venues are rife with disease-causing viruses and bacteria. “We have been for several years, and have been making preparations to protect the athletes”.

“If I were going to be in the Olympics I would probably go early and get exposed and build up my immunity system to these viruses before I had to compete, because I don’t see how they’re going to solve this sewage problem”.

More than 10,000 athletes hailing from over 200 countries are expected to compete in the August. 5-21, 2016, games. Griffith examined the protocols, methodology and results of the AP tests.

Brazilian officials insist the water will be safe in time for the games, adding the medical of the director of the global Olympic Committee (IOC) says the city is “on track” for providing safe venues.

The IOC said measures such as closing landfills and increasing water treatment works were continuing and that the World Health Organisation had assured it that there was “no significant risk to athlete health”. Prime beaches are deserted because the surf is thick with putrid sludge, and die-offs leave the Olympic lake, Rodrigo de Freitas, littered with rotting fish. The iconic bay will be the site of sailing events during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“The ITU has contracted with the local organizing committee to conduct the water-quality tests, and we trust the results”, Shin Otsuka, executive board member of the worldwide Triathlon Union, said through an interpreter.

“We are well aware of the concerns of water pollution on Guanabara Bay”, he said. While California has again surpassed the statewide target of a 25% reduction in water use (conservation was at 29% in May), 16 water districts failed to meet their conservation standards by 15 percentage points or more. Brazil government tests only for bacteria levels.

After collecting 37 samples, Spilki tested for adenoviruses, enteroviruses, and rotaviruses, which are known to cause vomiting, explosive diarrhea, respiratory problems, and serious brain and heart diseases.