The Zika virus threat has been a convenient excuse for the men’s players as a reason to not play in Rio, but it doesn’t appear to have phased their female counterparts – including New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.
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“If it’s any other place, I’m going to play”.
Nuzman also said he expected Rio’s suspended drug-testing lab to be ready when the games open on August 5.
Earlier this week, IOC president Thomas Bach said the absence of numerous top men from the Olympic golf tournament in Rio de Janeiro will be taken into account in evaluating the sport’s future in the Games.
The policy taken out by the International Olympic Committee, underwritten by Swiss Re Ltd. and Munich Reinsurance Co., covers the committee should the games be canceled due to a natural catastrophe, civil unrest, pandemic or terrorism.
Romania’s Simona Halep, the world’s fifth-ranked woman, posted on Facebook: “After several talks with doctors and my family, I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a woman”.
Raonic – beaten by Andy Murray in his first grand slam final – is the first top-10 male tennis player to rule himself out of Rio, as the sport makes its eighth Olympic appearance since returning to the schedule in 1988.
John Isner of the United States, Austria’s Dominic Thiem, Australian duo Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios as well as Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez have all opted, for various reasons, not to take part in the Olympics.
Sharapova is serving a doping suspension while Azarenka announced on Friday that she is pregnant and won’t compete again in 2016.
“It is now recognised as a serious complication of the Zika virus disease”.
Berdych and Pliskova follow a host of other tennis stars who are skipping Rio over the Zika scare.
World number one Jason Day, number two Dustin Johnson and number four Rory McIlroy have all already pulled out because of fears concerning the Zika virus in Brazil.
The 36-year-old says he’s not offended by Nuzman’s remarks, but he’s not happy either.
France has been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics, according to military officers who testified before a parliamentary inquiry commission on the terror attacks of 2015.
World number one Novak Djokovic and 17-time major victor Roger Federer are also playing in Brazil.
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Eighteen of the top 20 women are slated to go to Brazil, led by reigning gold medalist Serena Williams, who will also seek a fourth Olympic doubles title with sister Venus.
