BRAZIL/FILE: SAILING: Polluted waters plague Olympic test event in Rio

Record ID: 217156

  • Title: BRAZIL/FILE: SAILING: Polluted waters plague Olympic test event in Rio
  • Date: 25th July 2014
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (RECENT) (REUTERS) AERIAL OF AN INDUSTRIAL PART OF THE BAY AERIAL OF THE MARINA DA GLORIA ON THE BAY AERIAL OF A SMALL SAILBOAT AERIAL OF THE BAY RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 25, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN BIOLOGIST MARCELO ROCHA, SAYING: "If you follow... the state does periodical analysis of the beaches where people swim
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAAHMZ3L2FUOQBVUZ8XBEPRE5TV
  • Story Text: Rio de Janeiro is preparing to host its first Olympics test event, but the heavily polluted bay where the international sailing competition is to be held could be a health hazard to athletes.

    As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host a major international sailing competition, the first test event ahead of the 2016 Olympics, concerns have been raised about the water quality and whether it is hazardous to the athletes who will be competing in the city's highly polluted Guanabara Bay.
    The contaminated body of water is the site of sailing events for the 2016 Games and will also be the location for the test event on August 2nd through the 9th.
    Beyond the fact that trash can clearly be seen floating on top of the water, the main concern is what the human eye cannot see.
    Untreated sewage finds its way into the water especially as informal communities continue to spring up along the 15 municipalities that rest on the shores of the bay, often sending fecal matter counts to dangerous levels.
    Brazilian biologist Marcelo Rocha says a number of contaminants are polluting the water such that simply coming into contact with it is dangerous and could cause infections including Hepatitis A.
    "The big risk of this pollution is the excess of contaminants, for example heavy metals, high levels of petroleum, an excess of pathogenic micro organisms, like bacterium and viruses that cause a number of infections including Hepatitis A. These can be caused by contact through the eyes, nose, mouth and can cause skin and gastrointestinal problems too," Rocha said.
    Though no swimming events are scheduled to be held in the bay, sailboats have the potential of capsizing sending athletes spilling into the polluted water, or a simple splash in the mouth or eyes could be a danger.
    Rio's state environmental agency, known by its Portuguese acronym INEA, is the body tasked with monitoring the city's coastal water quality.
    Two of the four beaches tested in the last analysis made available by INEA on July 21 were listed as red and said to be unsafe for swimming.
    "If you follow... the state does periodical analysis of the beaches where people swim on Guanabara Bay. You can see the results, for example at Flamengo Beach, Botafogo Beach, these have a lot of swimming restrictions because of the levels of coliform (bacterium) is really high and this is not recommendable for swimming. Not just for the athletes, but for beach goers, tourists and people who frequent the area," Rocha added.
    During the bidding process for the Olympic Games, the city of Rio committed itself to properly preparing its long-neglected waters to host sporting events.
    The International Olympic Committee has reportedly put pressure on Rio's local organizers to accelerate the process of decontaminating the waters necessary to the hosting of the games.
    But Rocha told Reuters the government is a long way from achieving its initial goals set out more than 20 years ago.
    "The program, as I said, has been around for 20 years. The initial goal was to have it 80 percent unpolluted by 2016. But the rate we are seeing reported by a number of researchers and organizations is that it still has not reached 40 percent, let alone 80. The next two years are going to have a lot of hard work to do as far as the government and the general population go; it has a lot to do with how people act too," Rocha said, saying that residents have to do their part by not littering.
    While the focus has been on dangerous pathogens in the water, large pieces of debris could also compromise the upcoming sailing competition.
    It is not uncommon to see items like tyres, couches, or large logs floating in the water posing dangerous obstacles for the athletes planning to compete here next month.
    The Rio 2016 test sailing competition will involve more than 320 athletes from 34 countries and will be based the Marina da Gloria on the Guanabara Bay on August 2 - 9.
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