VIRUS: Olympic athletes cancel their trips to Brazil due to the rapidly spreading Zika virus.
By Emma Carson, Staff Writer
For most Olympians, four years of waiting, reviving from past Olympic experiences, and training are over. For all of them, however, it also means weighing what matters most to them: personal health or legacy.
With the Olympics approaching in less than three months, the Zika virus is only gaining traction in the host city: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With no way to tell which mosquito carries the virus, the virus continues to spread at an alarming rate with an estimated one million infections since September. Though it is rare for infected people to be hospitalized from Zika, the idea of brain and nerve disorders have athletes backing out of the competition. Once a person is infected, it can stay in the bloodstream for about a week, but it can stay longer with no way to tell when it subsides. Though it mostly affects pregnant women, news of the virus mutating from person to person may cause an even bigger danger as the virus spreads, mutating into a deadly contagion.
So far, five golfers have canceled their trips, but only Australia’s Marc Leishman and Fiji’s Vijay Singh have cited Zika as their main issue. In soccer, U.S. Women’s Hope Solo spoke out about begrudgingly going, and her teammate Alex Morgan is still contemplating her trip. In basketball, U.S. player Carmelo Anthony also questioned the safety of the Olympics but didn’t commit to backing out.
In spite of the growing fears, many groups and athletes have committed to attending this year’s games: the U.S. Women’s Golf Association, U.S basketball player Elena Delle Donne, British track and field athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, and South Korea, which revealed that a “Zika-proof uniform” is under way.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) shared that it is the athlete’s’ choice to protect their health, and they will not force them to a decision. These athletes have to keep in mind the rapidly spreading virus without a vaccination, and if they are infected, they are risking the health of their whole country.
Many people question why such a problematic country is hosting an event where thousands of people attend. Canceling the Olympics all together is not an option, and as many national sports associations have said, these athletes have a choice to keep themselves and essentially their countries safe.