The spread of the Zika virus in Brazil has been casting a long shadow over preparations for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but organizers remain confident the Games will go ahead as planned.
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The International Olympic Committee sent a note Friday to all national Olympic committees outlining the latest medical advice concerning Zika, the latest problem for a country already dealing with a severe economic crisis and a sprawling corruption scandal. Bach says the torch relay for this year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will include a stop at a refugee camp in Athens.
“The risk is no joke, so we will maintain this inspection program until the end of the Paralympics”, he said.
And the Brazilian government has declared a state of emergency as the virus is thought to have caused over 4,000 cases of microcephaly – the weird disorder where babies are born with dangerously small heads.
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured teams travelling to Rio Olympics would be safe from the Zika virus, but urged visitors to carefully protect themselves while in the region.
Several countries are already warning their athletes about the virus.
It said Games officials would “continue to monitor the issue closely”.
Petersen said that women who are pregnant or considering getting pregnant should avoid traveling to countries associated with the Zika outbreak, including Brazil.
Bach said the IOC are working in close contact with the Brazilian authorities to make sure the most up-to-date information regarding the virus and its prevention are disseminated to the relevant global bodies.
“The Olympic and Paralympic venues will be inspected on a daily basis during the Rio 2016 Games to ensure that there are no puddles of stagnant water, and therefore minimize the risk of coming into contact with mosquitoes”, added Rio 2016 spokesman Phil Wilkinson.
The refugee team, around five to ten strong, will participate as a delegation in its own right and be lodged at the Olympic Village with the rest of the athletes, Bach said.
Denise Dignard, women’s high-performance director with Canada Basketball, was in Rio earlier this month for a site inspection of the Games’ new basketball venue.
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USA health officials are stepping up efforts to study the link between Zika infections and birth defects in infants amid predictions for widespread circulation of the virus within the U.S. during warmer months. East Timor in 2000 and South Sudan in 2012 also participated in this manner because their respective Olympic committees had not yet been formed, the New York Times reported.
