BRAZIL: SAILING Brazilian sailing team prepares for Rio 2016 test event in polluted water

Record ID: 332640

  • Title: BRAZIL: SAILING Brazilian sailing team prepares for Rio 2016 test event in polluted water
  • Date: 29th July 2014
  • Summary: SIGN FOR THE BRAZILIAN OLYMPIC TEAM CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA72NURDKH15ZLULVEHFPACHW3J
  • Story Text: The Brazilian national sailing team was presented at the Guanabara Bay Olympic sailing venue on Tuesday (July 29) just days before the first Rio 2016 test event will be held on the waters that have come under contention due to pollution concerns.
    The Brazilian Olympic Committee has invested heavily in its sailing team as it looks to become one of the top ten Olympic medaling countries when it hosts the games in the summer of 2016.
    But as Rio de Janeiro prepares to host its first test event, questions have been raised about the athletes' safety as they venture into the notoriously polluted waters of the bay this week ahead of the August 2-9 sailing test event.
    Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robert Sheidt said the racing conditions could depend on the weather and if the tide brings sea water flowing back into the bay.

    "It could happen if it rains a lot; or if the tide comes into Guanabara Bay it can bring with it a lot of trash and can hamper the competition. I think they are already doing what needs to be done and the bay is getting better little by little but there is a lot of work to do to make it perfect for the 2016 Olympics," Sheidt said.
    It is not uncommon to see plastic bags and other bits of rubbish floating on the surface of the water and the city has deployed a small fleet of boats to try and collect trash ahead of next week's regattas.
    But beyond the obvious problems trash floating in the water can have on the race, the city is also contending with high faecal counts in the body of water where untreated sewage regularly flows.
    Biologists have warned the dangerous levels of human waste can cause illnesses from gastrointestinal issues to Hepatitis A.
    The city monitors the safety of the water and regularly recommends beach goers stay clear of the water at the beaches on the bay including those of Flamengo and Botafogo near where the competition will be held.
    Brazilian RS:X windsurfer Ricardo Santos told Reuters he is used to the polluted waters but wondered how international athletes not accustomed to the conditions might fare if they accidentally ingest the filth.

    "I've been sailing here since I was 12 or 13-years-old and I've never had a problem, thank God. We ingest a little bit of water just about every day. Think about when you finish a regatta and you are like [breathing heavily] huffing and a splash of water always gets in your mouth and it isn't the best thing, but I think the foreigners could have more issues than me because I've got the antibodies. I've been sailing in the Guanabara Bay, the Marapendi Lagoon, the polluted waters of Barra de Tijuca for a long time. I think I am used to it," Santos said.
    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 Brazil's head sailing coach, Torben Grael, said there is a long way to go to get standards up to speed.

    "The image; it looks bad, and this has a really bad connotation for the host city of Rio de Janeiro and for Brazil. And the other serious problem is the garbage, the trash in the water. This is a problem that is pretty serious for the sailing competition because a partially submerged bag and that sort of thing could hinder a boat's performance in a pretty sensitive way. It would be really bad if that happened, especially during the Olympics," Grael said.
    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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