Rio athletes advised to 'keep mouths closed' in Games water

Thursday, July 28, 2016, 4:33 PM - Health experts are telling athletes participating in the Rio summer games to keep their mouths shut when competing in the notoriously-polluted waters in the city.

While most swimming events will be held indoors, a 10 km open water marathon is scheduled, along with sailing and wind surfing competitions.

Recent tests have shown the water is even more contaminated than previously thought.

Data shows the waters are rife with rotaviruses that can cause diarrhea and vomiting, along with drug-resistant "super bacteria".

Major contamination has also been found at Ipanema and Leblon beaches, upscale venues where Olympic spectators are expected to frequent.

Government officials and the International Olympic Committee admit water in and around the city is filthy, but say the areas where the athletes will be swimming -- like the Copacabana Beach -- meet World Health Organization standards.

They say venues with high levels of contamination, like Guanabara Bay, only present a "minimal" risk because athletes will be windsurfing and sailing there and will not have direct contact with the water.

Still, there is the potential for spray to get into the competitor's eyes, mouths and ears.

Olympic officials have acknowledged there is a bigger problem: Sewage and pollution is continuing to flow into Rio's water untreated.

“Our biggest plague, our biggest environmental problem, is basic sanitation,” Andrea Correa, the top environmental official in the state of Rio de Janeiro, told the New York Times.

“The Olympics has woken people up to the problem.”

A 2015 investigation by the Associated Press found germs in some tests were 1.7 million times the level of what would be considered dangerous in Southern California.

“We just have to keep our mouths closed when the water sprays up,” Dutch sailing team member Afrodite Zegers told The New York Times.

The 2016 summer games will begin August 5.

Source: New York Times