The regatta took place just a week after The Associated Press published an independent five-month analysis of water quality that showed high levels of viruses and in some cases bacteria from human sewage in all of Rio’s Olympic and Paralympic water venues, including the Rodrigo de Freitas _ the rowing venue.
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These are viruses which might be recognized to trigger digestive and respiratory sicknesses, together with explosive diarrhea and vomiting, however may also in rarer instances result in extra critical coronary heart, mind and different illnesses, akin to hepatitis A.
U.S. Olympic Sailing managing director Josh Adams said July 30 that US Sailing continues to view the Olympic venue at Guanabara Bay as a safe place to sail.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff joined IOC President Thomas Bach, Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, Rio 2016 Coordination Commission chair Nawal El Mouwatakel, and Brazilian sports minister George Hilton in the August 5 ceremony in Rio de Janeiro inviting athletes from a record number of NOCs to the Games.
Merry said U.S. rowers often take ill overseas and said the fact that coaches also got sick in Rio was an indication water might not be the problem.
U.S. rowers suffered stomach illnesses with reports of vomiting and diarrhea, according to The Associated Press, amid concerns about water quality at the open-water venues for the Olympics next year.
“I do not know if it was the water bottles within the boats, or hygiene precautions that some athletes are actually good about and others weren’t”, she stated.
Dr. Kathryn Ackerman, the team’s physician, said she believes the symptoms are consistent with coming into contact with the contaminated water, although she did not rule out food or drinking water as the source of the illness.
“I am not an professional in viruses”. “I am fighting what the proper reply is to guard the rowers”.
Paes, who has repeatedly acknowledged that Rio “missed an opportunity” to clean its waters for the Olympics, said he would follow the IOC’s lead on viral testing.
“We would like to ask FINA or the IOC if we are able to swim (at night) before the swimming starts”, said Tatsuo Ogura, the federation’s spokesman.
“As athletes and staff, we have to familiarize ourselves with what it means for us all to stay in those time frames”, Jacco Verhaeren, Swimming Australia’s head coach, told Reuters. “At the end, they didn’t come and there was nothing we could have done in that situation”. “But we want to get a clear picture of these times and be the best prepared team – and this is part of that”.
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Swiss rower Katharina Strahl, noting that the lake was “smelly in a couple of locations”, was capable of joke concerning the air pollution.
