{"id":58732,"date":"2014-07-09T08:57:35","date_gmt":"2014-07-09T15:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/?p=58732"},"modified":"2016-02-03T16:51:07","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T23:51:07","slug":"start-your-subscription-today-with-the-june-issue-of-swimming-world-magazine-a-voice-for-the-sport-rios-uncertain-olympic-waters-are-cause-for-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/start-your-subscription-today-with-the-june-issue-of-swimming-world-magazine-a-voice-for-the-sport-rios-uncertain-olympic-waters-are-cause-for-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"Rio\u2019s Uncertain Olympic Waters are Cause for Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 9. The July 2014 issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/i> is now available for download to Total Access Subscribers!<\/a><\/p>\n

On Page 6 ofSwimming World Magazine<\/i>, A Voice for the Sport: Rio\u2019s Uncertain Olympic Waters are Cause for Concern<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Everybody is looking forward to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. It\u2019s in one of the most beautiful cities on the face of the planet. However, underneath the picturesque beaches and breathtaking mountain backdrops, concerns are growing globally over the safety of the venues for athletic competition\u2014due to the high levels of pollution reported at certain venues\u2014and possible contamination in the city water supply. <\/i><\/p>\n

Two major concerns are Guanabara Bay, home to the Olympic sailing venue, and Copacabana Beach, directly adjacent and south of the bay opening, which hosts the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and the first swimming leg of the Olympic triathlon.<\/p>\n

Numerous reports in the BBC, New York Times, Bloomberg, The Independent (UK), The Huffington Post, Inside the Games and others highlight the concerns over the dangerous pollution levels.<\/p>\n

In a BBC report, \u201cRio\u2019s Olympic Waters Blighted by Heavy Pollution\u201d (Jan. 10, 2014), author Julia Carneiro reported the dismal conditions of the Brazil Sailing Cup, describing the Olympic venue as \u201cheavily polluted, with sailors having to avoid obstacles\u2014everything from TVs to floating bed frames and dead animals….\u201d<\/p>\n

After sailing in the bay, British sailor Alain Sign said, \u201cI was ill just before Christmas\u2014it could have been from the capsize that we had or from something I ate. But you probably wouldn\u2019t want to drink the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NGO My Rio campaign coordinator, Leona Deckelbaum, was quoted in the BBC article that the level of fecal matter in the bay is 198 times higher than the legal limit established in the United States. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t put my little pinky toe in it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Another concern came from former U.S. Olympian Kalyn Keller. In the article, \u201cFormer Olympic Swimmer Concerned about Olympic Athletes Swimming in Untested Waters\u201d by Penny Star, CNSNEWS.com (Oct. 7, 2009), Keller said that she believes her diagnosis of Crohn\u2019s disease was connected to her open water swim off the Rio beach during the 2007 Pan American Games: \u201cIt completely ripped my life out from under my feet. I had a big plan of going to the Olympics, and all of a sudden, I went from athlete to invalid.\u201d<\/p>\n

And another leading voice, Dr. David Santillo, had already expressed his concerns more than ten years ago! In his report, \u201cPollution with Organic Tin Compounds, Organchlorines, Hydrocarbons and Metals in Sediment Samples from Guanabara Bay\u201d (Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, UK, 2000), Dr. Santillo\u2014a top water pollution scientist at Greenpeace\u2014stated, \u201cThe results demonstrate that the bay is subject to pollution by a wide range of toxic compounds from a variety of sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

In light of the global concerns, Swimming World is calling for a renewed effort to clean up Guanabara Bay\u2014not only for the Olympics, but also for the local citizens of Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n

Swimming World would like to see new scientific frameworks established to create world-class safety and pollution criteria for all water sports, especially for Olympic and world championship open water swimming, triathlon and sailing. In addition, there should be open, comprehensive, verifiable, increased monitoring of the beaches and sport venues.<\/p>\n

Olympic athletes\u2014the very best athletes in the world\u2014deserve to have the best venues in the world…venues that are 100 percent safe from pollution or contamination for competition. No excuses. No exceptions.<\/p>\n

(By Steven V Selthoffer, Chief European Columnist, Swimming World Magazine)<\/p>\n

Not a Total Access Subscriber? A Swimming World Magazine<\/i> Subscription <\/a>gives you unlimited access to all online content on SwimmingWorld.com and access to all of the back issues of Swimming World Magazine<\/i> dating back to 1960! Purchase your Total Access Subscription TODAY! <\/a><\/p>\n

Curious about what you\u2019ll find inside the July 2014 issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/i>? Watch this month\u2019s Inside Swimming World<\/i> video to find out!<\/p>\n