The Rio triathlon Test Event will be taking place this weekend with as many as 175 elite triathletes scheduled to start the race at Copacabana beach on Sunday. For many of these athletes, the importance of this race is immeasurable. After all, opportunities to qualify for the Olympic Games do not come often in one’s lifetime. For others who may have already qualified for the Games, this weekend’s race is their (as well as their national triathlon program’s) opportunity to recon the race course on which they will compete during the Game’s in a year’s time. This alone should make for a very exciting and intense day of racing in both the men and women’s fields. What else should we expect?
According to a report published by the Associated Press on Thursday morning (Olympic Athletes To Compete In Rio Waters Teeming With Sewage), fulfilling life long dreams and reckoning a race course may not be the only thing on the athletes’ minds when they line up to jump in the water on Sunday. The AP reports having conducted a recent investigation in which they conclude that « dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from sewage » were found in the very waters that athletes will be competing in during the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As reported by Trimes earlier this week, public safety issues linked to Rio’s high crime rate were deterring athletes from training on the triathlon course’s bike circuit. These recent results regarding the water quality will also deter athletes from coming in to test the waters ahead of time. Some, as stated in the report, have already fallen ill following exposure to these waters with fevers, vomiting and diarrhea.
The high level of pollution in Rio waters can be attributed to the fact that sweage is neither collected nor treated. Simply put, sewage flows freely in the waters that will host the Games nautical events such as swimming, rowing, sailing and of course triathlon.
The AP report sugggests that illness following exposure to water are mostly caused by viruses in the water, and not necessarily bacteria. Their investigation however found that Brazilian authorities only test for bacteria and not necessarily for viruses.
Apparently, the IOC and Brazilian authorities have no plans to update their testing methods following the AP findings : « We’ve had reassurances from the World Health Organization and others that there is no significant risk to athlete health…we follow the expert advice and official advice on how to monitor water effectively » said Dr. Richard Budgett, the IOC’s medical director.
Brazilian authorities have seemingly promised that the city’s waterways would be revamped in preparation for the games, and that when it’s all said and done, the waters will be safe. Experts on the other hand claim that we’re past the point of no return, that it’s simply too late for significant change. The situation is grim, as expressed by marine biologist John Griffith : « What you have there is basically raw sewage…It’s all the water from the toilets and the showers and whatever people put down their sinks ».
Sadly, we’ve noticed by past events that triathletes are more underprotected than they are overprotected when it comes to water quality. Gastrointestinal incidents stemming from swims in urban bodies of water are not rare by any means. If Rio’s water’s are truly as bad as suggested, the consequences may be a tad more dangerous than a simple intestinal malaise.
Let us for a moment play devils advocate and assume that there is still time for a turn around and that the waters will in fact be perfectly safe for all of the athletes by the time the Rio Games begin. What does that mean for this weekend? Does it change anything for the triathletes that will take part in the test event? Not likely. If you thought that this weekend’s event wasn’t interesting enough when only considering its sporting significance, consider that over 170 athletes will be putting their health on the line, risking serious infections which could result in all types of illness’, just to have a chance to participate in next summer’s Olympic Games. Given these circumstances, you can be sure that athletic performances and final standings won’t be the only results to be analyzed following the race.