Rio’s water quality is “not a big problem at the moment”, said FINA President Julio Maglione on August 5th in response to the Associated Press investigation showing the approximately 1400 Olympic athletes partaking in the city’s water venues are at risk for potentially serious health problems.
As reported in late July, the AP’s investigation revealed that there are “dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from human sewage in the Olympic and Paralympic venues.” It was indicated that these viruses are a result of untreated sewage flowing freely through the streams and rivers, into the Olympic waters. These “viruses are known to cause respiratory and digestive illness, including explosive diarrhea and vomiting, but can lead to more serious heart, brain and other diseases.”
Flash Forward to the 10th of August, when the U.S. women’s rowing team reported having several members fall ill since participating in a recent test event in Rio at Rodrigo de Freitas Lake. Thirteen rowers have been stricken with various gastrointestinal symptoms at the World Junior Rowing Championships and the team doctor said it is her “personal feeling it is due to the lake.”
Now, CEO of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), Peter Sowrey, is threatening to move all Olympic sailing events out of polluted Guanabara Bay until the water is deemed clean, safe and free of floating trash. In a statement yesterday, Sowrey said, “If we can’t get the water to a level, then we’ll move it outside [to the Atlantic Ocean] — for sure.”
Sowrey also said, “We are not happy as a federation from the reporting on the water,” Sowrey said. “We’re not getting the reporting we expected to get.” He is referring to the fact that he received no data from state officials on the water qualify during the week-long Olympic test. ESPN Olympics reports that Inea, the state institute responsible for testing, ‘reported on water quality on the bay only once in the past 10 days.’
Watching the test sailing event moment by moment, Sowrey said there was too much ‘raw sewage being pumped into the bay and too much floating debris that makes fair racing impossible.” The high levels of toxicity are constantly on Sowrey’s mind, “I worry about it a lot. We’re all worried about it.”
FINA administers sailing as well? Well, I can’t think of any reason why that wouldn’t go along great.
Finally !!!! I sense more will challenge the organizers for such poor attitudes ! Safety first !!!
Spine. Finally someone sets an ultimatum and it’s the folks who don’t have to swim in it. Where the heck is FINA?
Taking action will move the Powers that Be to make the right decisions to protect the health of all of the athletes in the open water sports in Rio.
It’s about time someone took definitive action. If there is ANY chance of risk to the athletes, it ought to be moved. The casual attitude of the BOC is appalling.
Further, the BOC / organizers would have to set up a dedicated filtration plant now plus stop all effluent in a 20 mile radius as well to have any hope of having something clean enough to ensure safety. No cavalier attitudes allowed by BOC any more.