Among the bacteria floating in the bay are dead bodies. Apparently it’s a popular dumping ground for murder victims. And the bacteria isn’t just a problem for the olympians. It’s also a problem for the spectators.
Researchers at the Federal University of Rio also found serious contamination at the upscale beaches of Ipanema and Leblon, where many of the half-million Olympic spectators are expected to frolic between sporting events.
“Foreign athletes will literally be swimming in human crap, and they risk getting sick from all those microorganisms,” said Dr. Daniel Becker, a local pediatrician who works in poor neighborhoods. “It’s sad but also worrisome.”
This sad news has left many in Rio disheartened, because if the government couldn’t clean up the bay for something as big as the olympics, it’ll probably never get cleaned up. Here’s to hoping that all of the athletes go home healthy.
Source: nytimes.com
Do I give a damn? No!
Don’t swim in filthy water, not worth it. These people had months to get ready, and they did nothing. And now these athletes are getting their possessions stolen, and probably catching serious infections.
This is disgusting. These athletes should refuse to swim!
They should just take their “participation” ribbon and go home rather than get flesh eating bacteria or some nasty bug!
Awful
Brazil should never have been picked to host the Olympics. Robberies in the Olympic Village, gun shot through a press tent, a German athlete out sailing came back to port during a gun battle, sewage and trash floating in the bay and the Australian swim coach pulled his team out of a pool over concerns about water quality. Not to mention that the Brazilian government spent millions of dollars on the Olympics while the poor around Rio are living in alums.