2016 Olympic Games Organizers to Test Contaminated Venue Water for Viruses

Organizers for the 2016 Summer Olympics will reportedly administer viral tests to the water in Rio de Janeiro to determine whether it will be suitable for competitions, per Rob Harris of the Associated Press (via ABCNews.com).  

The AP (via the New York Times) conducted an investigation into the matter and reported on its results in July. The news organization "found dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from sewage at the sites for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic water sports."

The source of the issue is runoff from streams around Rio that contain sewage and any other waste from the city.

"What you have there is basically raw sewage," said John Griffith, who works as marine biologist in Southern California. "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."

German sailor Erik Heil suffered infections shortly after competing in a test event at Rio in August, and he believes the infection was contracted from the polluted water.

"I have never in my life had infections on the legs. Never!" he wrote on the German sailing team's blog, per Reuters (via the Guardian). "I assume I picked that up at the test regatta. The cause should be the Marina da Gloria where there is a constant flow of waste water from the city’s hospitals."

The International Olympic Committee had previously maintained it would test only for potential bacterial pathogens, a step which critics argued wouldn't go far enough toward determining whether the aquatic venues would be fit for purpose for the 2016 Games.