You are not logged in. Please register or login.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Re: Rio Olympics 2016
Athletes Set To Compete In Human Excrement
IF OLYMPIC athletes’ tolerance levels were not being pushed to the limit already, they’ve now been told to keep their mouths closed.
On top of concerns over substandard Olympic village accommodation, athletes have been warned that Rio’s aquatic sites remain contaminated.
Government and Olympic officials admit efforts to treat sewage and clear garbage from Guanabara Bay and the city’s beaches have been insufficient, prompting warnings from health experts.
The bay will host the sailing and windsurfing events at next month’s Olympics.
Scientists say the waters are filled with a host of pathogens and viruses with recent tests showing it is more contaminated than first thought, The New York Times reported.
One doctor told The Times that athletes will “literally be swimming in human crap”.
Paediatrician Daniel Becker also warned they were at risk of getting sick from microorganisms and toxins in the water.
Health experts have advised competitors to keep their mouths shut.
Afrodite Zegers, a member of the Dutch sailing team, has been practising in Guanabara Bay, renowned for its high levels of pollution.
“We just have to keep our mouths closed when the water sprays up,” she told The Times.
One local revealed his disappointment that authorities weren’t able to clean up the water properly in time for the games, revealing “it smells like (expletive) because it’s full of (expletive)”.
Luiz Goldfeld told USAToday he expected something would be done about the problem when the Olympics were announced in 2009.
However according to him, little has changed in seven years with tonnes of raw sewage pumped into the bay every day.
He said the stench was often overpowering and that he had seen human waste and dead animals in the water.
However some have pointed out the events being held in the bay are actually a long way from where the worst pollution levels are.
London-based Brazilian singer-songwriter Isabel Monteiro tweeted the negativity surrounding pollution was misleading.
Authorities also claim the situation isn’t as bad as it may seem. They say strong currents in the bay mean the sailing areas are clean enough for swimming.
GARBAGE PROBLEM
The health warning follows the news last week that while garbage-free water at venues is not guaranteed at least sailing competitors can expect a “fair” tournament.
Brazilian authorities have been quick to reassure competitors that the bay, which is staging the sailing and windsurfing contests, will not be affected by massive pollution.
However concerns were raised that fast, light boats or windsurfers could run into floating garbage or even snag a plastic bag, getting slowed down or knocked out of the race.
This comes on top of concerns raised surrounding bacteria in the sewage-laden waters.
Andre Correa, the Rio state secretary for the environment, said new barriers aimed to prevent the flow of garbage into the bay and thought competitors won’t have any trouble.
“There is no bay in the world with no rubbish. Is there a chance we’ll have some problem?’ he told AFP last week.
“There is a very small chance, but it can’t be ignored. It’s not impossible. But I am very optimistic that we can guarantee a fair regatta.”
Mr Correa said the barriers, placed across 17 principal rivers, aim to stop 85 per cent of garbage running into the bay.
Regular boaters and clean-up crews on Guanabara report finding everything from dead animals to floating televisions and refrigerators, in addition to masses of plastic bottles and bags.
SUPER BACTERIA
While cleaning up rubbish from the waterways is easier, getting rid of toxins and bacteria remains a far bigger challenge.
An estimated half of the sewage emitted by the roughly nine million people living around Guanabara Bay is not treated.
Mr Correa insisted that strong currents in the bay meant that the sailing areas were clean enough for swimming, even if other areas are filthy.
“Water quality has never been a worry of mine for the Olympics,” he said.
Only the raw sewage that until recently was gushing into the marina where the sailing boats start posed a risk, he said, and that has been addressed. “For the last month the water quality has been good,” he said.
In their winning bid to host the Olympics, Rio de Janeiro officials had promised to reduce pollution by 80 per cent.
However, earlier this month alarm bells rang after scientists found a group of drug-resistant bacteria in Rio’s waters.
Called Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, the bacteria can cause meningitis, pulmonary gastrointestinal urinary tract and bloodstream infections.
Raw sewage which is dumped into the ocean has been cited as the likely cause of the bacteria which has been detected in the city’s beaches.
Such super bacteria is a particular risk for those with compromised immune systems.
SAFETY CONCERNS
Rio organisers have been plagued by a series of concerns, not least of all pollution, with crime and safety of athletes and visitors also coming under the spotlight.
Yesterday Today show reporter Christine Ahern revealed how she and her cameraman were approached by would-be thieves just an hour after arriving in Rio.
Ahern and her cameraman were almost mugged by a group of “transvestites” near Copacabana Beach but were saved after a quick-thinking security guard intervened.
The reporter told 3AW the city definitely had an edgy feel to it and tourists needed to have their wits about them.
Then earlier this week New Zealand Jiu-Jitsu competitor Jason Lee said he was kidnapped by men in police uniform who forced him to withdraw cash from ATMs.
Lee, who has been living in Rio for the past 10 months, was later released by the group revealing how sad it was locals and tourists had to put up with this “bull****” daily.
Re: Rio Olympics 2016
THis really is a clusterfuck....on many levels. Swimming in shit, Zika virus, unstable political situation, crime, etc.
IMO it should be canceled but on the other hand, you would be killing the dreams of literally thousands of athletes. NOt an easy decision.
The Olympic commitee is going to have to change how it picks host cities in the future.
US
Russia
Europe
China
Japan
Australia
Pick cities out of that hat....drop the rest.
Re: Rio Olympics 2016
Winter Olympics in Russia was a clusterfuck as well
And the last Olympics in China wasn't much better
The only way that u can avoid this shit is to have indoor events...I doubt outdoor bodies of water in any country is 100% sanitary
The photo above is obviously a sensationalized photo...I seriously doubt that that is the average view of a waterway in Rio
Re: Rio Olympics 2016
I thought the athletes and the world in general raved on that Olympics in Russia until Putin invaded Ukraine? Russia should be thanked just for guaranteeing that there would be no terrorist attack at the Olympics when terrorist groups guaranteed there would be. Spetsnatz went on a killing spree but it prevented innocent civilians/athletes from getting killed.
Only thing I remember about 2008 is Nastia Liukin winning gold. God I was such a mess back then.
I forgot to add Canada to my list above. Obviously a great spot to hold the winter olympics.
Chicago and San Francisco are long overdue to host the Olympics. I still don't understand why they are always passed over....especially for cities like Rio.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Rio Olympics 2016
What Neemo is trying to say is, "FUCK YOU JAMES FOR LEAVING CANADA OFF THE LIST". 
- Randall Flagg
- Rep: 139
Re: Rio Olympics 2016
Or maybe just reuse Olympic sites in the first world countries. You could easily re-use SLC or Vancouver for the 2018 winter Olympics. It's time we quit pretending all nations are equal in their ability to safely accommodate all the athletes and tourists. Hosting these events in non-western nations is just showing how ill-equipped and corrupt they are rather than having the intended effect of showing parity.
The cities that host lose money anyway, so why impose more harm on the citizens of these 3rd world countries.
