The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has begun collecting data on water pollution in the Rio 2016 venues. SwimSwam’s Tony Carroll earlier reported on the Associated Press investigation that deemed all water venues for the games where unsafe for swimming.
AP found that there are “dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from human sewage in the Olympic and Paralympic venues.” Tests showed that those levels are up to 1.7 million times higher than the levels that we would call hazardous on a Southern California beach.
Alan Ashley, USOC Chief of Sport Performance, has stated that he’s been following the matter closely.
“The welfare of our athletes is my highest priority and I want to make sure that we’re giving them the information they need in order to make good decisions about their careers and about their futures,” said Ashley at a teleconference.
The USOC is collecting data about water quality and information through other relevant federations and the Olympic Organizing Committee. American experts will observe the data and look for a prophylactic that will protect athletes’ health if they’re exposed to viruses and bacteria. They’ll then get that information back to the National Governing Bodies.
The IOC persists that it is in constant contact with organizers to ensure that the waters are clean enough to safely use for competition. Actions have been taken, including closing landfills and increasing water treatment. They claim that they have been assured by the World Health Organization that athletes’ health is not at risk.
Rio State Government officials have insisted that these issues in Guanabara Bay will cause no problems at the 2016 Olympics, claiming that they have made significant progress over the last 8 years. A big part of their bid for the Olympics was their plan to reduce 80 percent of pollution. However, they’ve been met with criticism.
Sailors say the waters are some of the worst conditions they’ve ever seen and have vocalized their worries about safety. They’ve called for the event to be moved further out to safer conditions and cleaner waters. A 2nd sailing test will take place August 15-22.
Why is this just now news and getting a reaction? This has been a know fact since the beginning of the Rio process. At what time with the safety of the athletes be the most important factor in competition?