More athletes — nearly all of them golfers — are bowing out of the Summer Olympics in Brazil as concerns over the Zika outbreak continue.
Silvia Izquierdo / AP Photo
More athletes from around the world are choosing to not compete in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as concerns over the Zika virus outbreak continue.
Many of those who said they will opt out have cited health concerns for themselves and their families should they become infected.
The World Health Organization in February called the mosquito-borne, sexually transmitted Zika virus — which has been linked to several birth defects including microcephaly — a global health emergency. And the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the U.S. has warned pregnant women against traveling to any of the 47 countries plagued by the epidemic.
More than 150 public health workers and scientists have also signed an open letter to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, urging her to push for a postponement of the Games in light of the outbreak, or to advocate for a new location.
But the WHO dismissed the letter, arguing that “canceling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of the Zika virus.”
The WHO has also pointed out that the risk is primarily for women, and advises visitors to use a condom when having sex to guard against transmission by semen.
Another suggestion is to abstain from sex during the Games and the following four weeks to avoid transmitting the virus to their partner.
Instead, many of the worlds top-rated golfers are abstaining from competing in their sport, which has been absent from the Olympics for more than 100 years.
Here they are in their own words:
Rory McIlroy, Ireland
Charlie Riedel / AP Photo
McIlroy announced on June 22 that he was withdrawing from the Games.
“After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for this summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,” he said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. "After speaking with those closest to me, I've come to realize that my health and my family's health comes before anything else. Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take."
McIlroy, 27, said he trusted Irish citizens would understand his decision.
“I will continue to endeavor to make my fans and fans of golf proud with my play on the course and my actions off it,” he said.
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