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Kenya to pull out of Olympics? |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Posted: February 09 2016 at 7:04am |
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The Olympics will be in full collapse soon, is my guess. If Kenya pulls out others will begin to fall. Many athletes don't want a medal based on lack of competition and excuses. Their ego's need to know they won it fairly going head to head with the best in the world, and no excuses and a cheap victory.
I said awhile ago that Brazil should petition for full reimbursement for the cost they put into this and look at canceling, or they will take enormous losses. The WHO continues to downplay the whole situation in my opinion, and the leaders should be figuring out a solution before they destroy Brazil's economy over this. Like I've said, if the Olympics are worth just one case of microcephaly and destroying a child's life, we have big problems in this world. Zika concerns could see Kenya withdraw from Rio 2016 OlympicsWorld record holder David Rudisha may not be able to defend his 800m Olympic title Kenya could pull out of this summer's Rio Olympics if the Zika virus in Brazil reaches "epidemic levels", says the head of Kenya's Olympic committee. The outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in South America is being linked to severe birth defects. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global public health emergency. Kipchoge Keino said: "We are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels." Brazilian authorities insist there will be no risk to athletes and spectators, except pregnant women, when the Rio Games take place in August. The International Olympic Committee says it is in "close contact" with organisers, while Olympic venues will be inspected daily in the lead-up to and during the Games.
Kenya topped the medal table at last year's World Athletics Championships and the country's absence would be severely felt on the track as they boast many of the best middle and long-distance runners in the world. They won 11 Olympic medals at London 2012, all in athletics, and David Rudisha, one of the sport's biggest stars, would be denied an opportunity to defend his 800m Olympic title. Meanwhile, the United States Olympic Committee has told American sports federations that athletes and staff concerned for their health should consider not going to the Games. The Australian and New Zealand Olympic Committees have also said they would support athletes should they withdraw. http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/35530141 |
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Albert
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Exclusive: U.S. athletes should consider skipping Rio if fear Zika - officialsThe United States
Olympic Committee told U.S. sports federations that athletes and staff
concerned for their health over the Zika virus should consider not going
to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August. The
message was delivered in a conference call involving USOC officials
and leaders of U.S. sport federations in late January, according to two
people who participated in the call. Federations
were told that no one should go to Brazil "if they don't feel
comfortable going. Bottom line," said Donald Anthony, president and
board chairman of USA Fencing. The USOC’s briefing to sport federations is
the latest sign that Olympics officials are taking the Zika threat to
the games in Rio de Janeiro seriously, and acknowledging that at least
some athletes and support staff could face a tough decision over whether
to attend. The United States won
most medals at the last Olympics in London in 2012, so any disruption to
its presence would be important for the Rio games. Global
health authorities suspect the mosquito-borne Zika virus has caused a
spike in Brazil of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by an abnormally
small head. As a result, the World Health Organization declared an
international health emergency Feb. 1, and the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising pregnant women or those
considering becoming pregnant to avoid travel to places with Zika
outbreaks. The USOC’s Alan Ashley, its chief of sport performance, and other USOC officials, briefed the leaders of the federations. Ashley did not respond to email or phone calls requesting comment. USOC
spokesman Mark Jones confirmed by email that Ashley had "briefed
federation leaders on the CDC's recommendations and we will continue to
ensure that athletes and officials affiliated with Team USA receive any
updates from the CDC." The USOC has not issued its own set of recommendations for athletes and staff beyond what the CDC and WHO have issued. Jones declined to comment further or respond to specific questions from Reuters before publication. In
a statement on Monday, another USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said
media reports that the USOC has advised U.S. athletes to reconsider
competing in Rio due to the Zika virus were inaccurate. It was unclear
what media reports he was referring to and he couldn't be immediately
reached for comment. "Team USA
looks forward to the Games and we did not, would not and will not
prevent athletes from competing for their country should they qualify,"
Sandusky said. Recalling the conference call, Anthony, a
former Olympian, said: "One of the things that they immediately said
was, especially for women that may be pregnant or even thinking of
getting pregnant, that whether you are scheduled to go to Rio or no,
that you shouldn't go." "And no one
should go if they feel at all as though that that threat could impact
them," said Anthony, who praised the USOC's handling of the outbreak so
far. Zika outbreaks have been
reported in 33 countries, most of them in the Americas. Symptoms of
infection often are mild or imperceptible. But the outbreak in Brazil
that began last year has been accompanied by more than 4,000 cases of
suspected microcephaly; investigators have confirmed more than 400. The
link to Zika is unproven but strongly suspected. In El Salvador, which is experiencing outbreaks of the virus, women are being advised to put off pregnancy until 2018. Will
Connell, Director of Sport at the U.S. Equestrian Federation, said the
USOC was leaving the decision up to individual athletes and staff
members. "They said no one
who has reasons to be concerned should feel obliged to go,” Connell
said. "If an athlete feels that way, of course they may decide not to
go." During the call, the USOC did
not indicate they were concerned that large numbers of athletes would
avoid Rio or that Zika could derail the Games, the two federation
leaders said. Instead, officials
expressed optimism that risk would be minimized by close cooperation
among health agencies, mosquito control efforts and the Games’ timing
during Brazil’s winter when mosquito-borne illnesses are less common. The
USOC officials on the call said the organization would adhere to the
recommendations of health agencies including the CDC, the sport
federation leaders said. "As we get closer to the Olympics the guidance could get updated," Connell said. In
a Jan. 29 letter from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to
national committees, the IOC’s chief doctors said they were monitoring
the situation closely. They passed along mosquito avoidance advice, but
remained confident the games would go ahead as planned. The Australian and
New Zealand Olympic Committees said they had already warned their
athletes of the potential dangers for pregnant women. "If
any athletes on the team felt they didn't want to go, we would
absolutely support them on that," an NZOC spokeswoman said on Tuesday. An Australian Olympic Committee spokeswoman said they would "totally understand" if an athlete chose not to go to Brazil. "But at this point no athletes have indicated they intend to withdraw from the team," she added. Both
Connell and U.S. Fencing’s Anthony said the USOC’s message was focused
primarily on the potential risks for women who are pregnant or are
thinking about trying to become pregnant. Since
the call, the CDC has issued more guidance in light of increasing
suspicion that Zika can be transmitted sexually. The CDC said Friday
that men who reside in or have traveled to Zika-affected areas may want
to abstain from sexual activity or use condoms. The
Olympics have long promised to be a triumphant showcase for Latin
America, which is playing host to the global sports spectacle for the
first time. Rio has also been expecting more than 380,000 tourists for
the Games, which come as Brazil’s economy is mired in recession and its
government reels from a corruption scandal at state oil company
Petrobras. An ongoing Zika epidemic
could prompt some athletes, staff, sponsors and high-spending tourists
to steer clear of the Games. Even if the risk of infection to any given
visitor is very low – as health experts expect – uncertainties persist.
There is no Zika vaccine, and currently available blood tests cannot
always detect the virus. Olympics
officials "are taking the right approach from a standpoint of, let's be
cautious, do not do anything that is going to put anybody, our staff or
our athletes in danger," Anthony said. Anthony said no U.S. fencers had spoken to him about Zika. "I think our athletes are aware," he said. "But it has not become a mission critical issue yet. Not yet." (Reporting By Daniel Bases and Joshua Schneyer; Additional reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Lisa Girion and Martin Howell) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-usa-olympics-exlusive-idUSKCN0VH0BJ |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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This is the exact reason why World Health officials refuse to confirm the link of microcephaly and Zika, and continue to downplay that link. They need the U.S. there, and no travel restrictions. Makes absolutely no difference if this all risks the life of a newborn, or even thousands of them. One is too many to just see who can throw the farthest javelin. Surely world athletes must have some integrity and compassion. You can't compete in games at the risk of a human life. |
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