PHOTO: AFP
Marathon swimmers taking part in a 2016 Olympics test event in Rio’s notoriously polluted off-shore waters suffered no serious health problems, said the sport’s governing body.
Fifty competitors from Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan and Netherlands took part in the test at Rio’s iconic Copacabana beach on August 22 and 23.
“To date, 26 days after the conclusion of the event, there is no notice of any subsequent health issue on the athletes that competed in Rio,” said a FINA statement.
The claims by FINA came just a day after Brazilian media reported that the swimming body had written to Rio mayor Eduardo Paes to express their concerns over the water quality at Copacabana as well as other watersport venues for the 2016 Games.
On Friday, FINA said they will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the Olympics which run from August 5-21 next year.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2015.
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