Bombshell Associated Press Report: Olympic Teams to Swim, Boat in Rio’s Feces

Photo Courtesy: Roberto Tietzmann

Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS

According to a bombshell Associated Press Report, Olympic and Paralympic teams will be swimming and boating in waters contaminated with human feces during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

“Athletes competing in next year’s Summer Olympics … will be swimming and boating in waters so contaminated with human feces that they risk becoming violently ill and unable to compete in the Games,” the AP report starts off.

Swimming World has continued to keep a close eye on this issue, even while the first Olympians for open water were selected this week at the 2015 World Championships, and now the AP has a full-blown independent investigation confirming the safety threat.

“What you have there is basically raw sewage,” said John Griffith, a marine biologist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. “It’s all the water from the toilets and the showers and whatever people put down their sinks, all mixed up, and it’s going out into the beach waters. Those kinds of things would be shut down immediately if found [in the U.S.].”

The AP tests included four separate rounds of testing at all three Olympic open water venues. A total of 37 samples were tested for “three types of human adenovirus, as well as rotavirus, enterovirus and fecal coliforms.” This testing found that every single venue was unsafe for competition.

The tests actually found high counts of contamination that can lead to illnesses including “explosive diarrhea and vomiting, but can also lead to more serious heart, brain and other diseases.”

Full Associated Press Article

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Laurent Landreau

8 years ago

Well, won’t click “Like” on this one!

Brian Mullies

8 years ago

Open water swimming should be moved to a different country.

Gonzalo Bunag

8 years ago

I expect world record performances from everybody.

Greg Straton

8 years ago

The organisers should be looking for alternative venues along the Brazillian coast, there is plenty of coastline that is far away enough from Rio to be safe but still accessible?

Mary Campbell Winfrey

8 years ago

And no one saw this coming?

Alex Braunfeld

8 years ago

Make FINA and Organizers swim a lap or two in the venue and see how they like it after their swim

Scott O'Connor

8 years ago

The “Olympic movement” is now in the water.

Scott O'Connor

8 years ago

The “Olympic movement” is now in the water.

Tanya Irving Mccormick

8 years ago

Again; a permanent Olympic site is the solution.

Heather Howard

8 years ago

Honestly no one saw this coming?? With very little sanitation restrictions in Brazil and most countries in South America this seems like an almost no brainer. I’m not sure where they could move it that would be safe. Possibly a more isolated but accessible area.

I’m curious though, my husband works with people from Brazil, just a year ago very few of the venues were actually built or ready for competition. With the attitude of “mañana, mañana” and the tendency to put things off, its a real worry that Río and Brazil won’t be ready for the Olympics. What then?

Kristy Lyon

8 years ago

Ewwwww. I agree, move the athletes elsewhere. Safety first!!!

Tom Pollock

8 years ago

This is crappy news.

Brent Hitchcock

8 years ago

Always fear the brown trout.