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Rio too Filthy for the Olympics?

Jack Hays

Jack Hays

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How about Olympic events in sewage? Yikes!

Rio's Olympic water badly polluted, tests show

"We're talking about an extreme environment," an expert on waterborne viruses says. Rife with pathogens far offshore »

The waters around Rio de Janeiro remain highly contaminated nine months ahead of the Summer Olympics, according to a new study commissioned by the Associated Press.
The study's results are concerning on two fronts. First, the study showed high levels of both bacterial and viral pathogens, a significant concern because of the ability of viral pathogens to cause disease. Bacteria tend to break down quickly in tropical climates, the study noted, while viral pathogens can remain active for months.
Dead fish are pictured next to a rowing athlete as he puts his boat on the water before a training sessio. REUTERS/Ricardo …

Both bacterial and viral counts were high not only near the shore, where Rio dumps untreated sewage into the water, but farther out in open water, where boating competitions will take place. That indicates the infectious counts are not being diluted the farther out they drift from shore.

 
Jack Hays said:
How about Olympic events in sewage? Yikes!

Rio's Olympic water badly polluted, tests show

"We're talking about an extreme environment," an expert on waterborne viruses says. Rife with pathogens far offshore »

The waters around Rio de Janeiro remain highly contaminated nine months ahead of the Summer Olympics, according to a new study commissioned by the Associated Press.
The study's results are concerning on two fronts. First, the study showed high levels of both bacterial and viral pathogens, a significant concern because of the ability of viral pathogens to cause disease. Bacteria tend to break down quickly in tropical climates, the study noted, while viral pathogens can remain active for months.
Dead fish are pictured next to a rowing athlete as he puts his boat on the water before a training sessio. REUTERS/Ricardo …

Both bacterial and viral counts were high not only near the shore, where Rio dumps untreated sewage into the water, but farther out in open water, where boating competitions will take place. That indicates the infectious counts are not being diluted the farther out they drift from shore.
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I can't speak to pollution, but I've had a few people tell me after seeing Rio's slums, they are virtually unparralled in the western world!
 
Chomsky said:
I can't speak to pollution, but I've had a few people tell me after seeing Rio's slums, they are virtually unparralled in the western world!
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Never been there, but I can imagine. Lived in Lagos for five years.
 
Jack Hays said:
Never been there, but I can imagine. Lived in Lagos for five years.
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Never been there, but have heard stories - none of them good.

If you survived Lagos, I'm sure you can survive anywhere!

And I'm not saying that lightly.
 
The Olympics are a bloated whale...just ask Greece.

They should build a facility for each one (summer and winter) with money from every country that participates.

And just have them at those venues every 4 years for at least 20 years.

This orgasmic splurge of taxpayer money spent on every Olympics is completely out of hand. The '84 Summer Olympics were logical and profitable. Since then most, if not, all were just silly and wasteful.

Stop making the Olympics an international urinating contest and just make it about the sports and the athletes.

Though I realize that way the IOC won't get their massive kickbacks...so it won't happen.
 
DA60 said:
The Olympics are a bloated whale...just ask Greece.

They should build a facility for each one (summer and winter) with money from every country that participates.

And just have them at those venues every 4 years for at least 20 years.

This orgasmic splurge of taxpayer money spent on every Olympics is completely out of hand. The '84 Summer Olympics were logical and profitable. Since then most, if not, all were just silly and wasteful.

Stop making the Olympics an international urinating contest and just make it about the sports and the athletes.

Though I realize that way the IOC won't get their massive kickbacks...so it won't happen.
Click to expand...


London did a good job of using existing infrastructure, recycling the new stadia etc. Was a fun games.
 
Higgins86 said:
London did a good job of using existing infrastructure, recycling the new stadia etc. Was a fun games.
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I am not talking about 'fun'. I am talking about cost to taxpayers.

Apparently, the London Olympics cost over $15 billion dollars...that is insane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics#Financing

If the government just handed out $250 to each Brit (what the Olympics cost each taxpayer in theory), I guarantee you a LOT more Brits would have had 'fun' then just those that experienced the Olympics (not that I agree with that either).
 
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DA60 said:
I am not talking about 'fun'. I am talking about cost to taxpayers.

Apparently, the London Olympics cost over $15 billion dollars...that is insane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics#Financing

If the government just handed out $250 to each Brit (what the Olympics cost each taxpayer in theory), I guarantee you a LOT more Brits would have had 'fun' then just those that experienced the Olympics (not that I agree with that either).
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The wasteful spending is the sole responsibility of the host nations though. For example. Brazil hosted the world cup and built and entire town just to hold the Soccer stadium: which now stands empty. It's up to the host nation to plan on how they're going to use the facilities for long term development instead of just a taxpayer giveaway to developers. If you can't afford to host the Olympics and don't plan to use the facilities for the long term then common sense would be to not put in a bid. These nations that spend oodles of money don't have my sympathy at all.
 
DA60 said:
I am not talking about 'fun'. I am talking about cost to taxpayers.

Apparently, the London Olympics cost over $15 billion dollars...that is insane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics#Financing

If the government just handed out $250 to each Brit (what the Olympics cost each taxpayer in theory), I guarantee you a LOT more Brits would have had 'fun' then just those that experienced the Olympics (not that I agree with that either).
Click to expand...


Life is short and being able to witness the Olympics in my home country was a once in a lifetime event.
 
Higgins86 said:
Life is short and being able to witness the Olympics in my home country was a once in a lifetime event.
Click to expand...

Yeah..and it only cost your country $15 BILLION dollars that EVERY taxpaying Brit had to pay for even if they hated the Olympics and/or had no chance to go to them.

I love sports. But I am not forking over $250 just so my country can host an Olympics...besides any costs I would incur if I actually went to them.

I say have one site for both Olympics (summer and winter)...saves taxpayers all over the world MANY billions of dollars. Plus, athletes of the home country will not have an advantage since everyone can train at the venues year after year...not just the home athletes. It would make for a fairer Olympics. And it is supposed to be about the games and the athletics...not the pomp and ceremony.

And no one will die not having the Olympics in their country.


No doubt you don't agree.


Good day.
 
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DA60 said:
Yeah..and it only cost your country $15 BILLION dollars that EVERY taxpaying Brit had to pay for even if they hated the Olympics and/or had no chance to go to them.

I love sports. But I am not forking over $250 just so my country can host an Olympics...besides any costs I would incur if I actually went to them.

I say have one site for both Olympics (summer and winter)...saves taxpayers all over the world MANY billions of dollars. Plus, athletes of the home country will not have an advantage since everyone can train at the venues year after year...not just the home athletes. It would make for a fairer Olympics. And it is supposed to be about the games and the athletics...not the pomp and ceremony.

And no one will die not having the Olympics in their country.


No doubt you don't agree.


Good day.
Click to expand...

They might die if they go to Rio.
 
DA60 said:
Yeah..and it only cost your country $15 BILLION dollars that EVERY taxpaying Brit had to pay for even if they hated the Olympics and/or had no chance to go to them.

I love sports. But I am not forking over $250 just so my country can host an Olympics...besides any costs I would incur if I actually went to them.

I say have one site for both Olympics (summer and winter)...saves taxpayers all over the world MANY billions of dollars. Plus, athletes of the home country will not have an advantage since everyone can train at the venues year after year...not just the home athletes. It would make for a fairer Olympics. And it is supposed to be about the games and the athletics...not the pomp and ceremony.

And no one will die not having the Olympics in their country.


No doubt you don't agree.


Good day.
Click to expand...



Like I said I enjoyed them and the games themselves were a massive success. The games themselves generated millions for the economy and was a great oppourtunity to showcase London to the world.
 
Higgins86 said:
Life is short and being able to witness the Olympics in my home country was a once in a lifetime event.
Click to expand...

I went to the games in Atlanta.
 
Jack Hays said:
How about Olympic events in sewage? Yikes!

Rio's Olympic water badly polluted, tests show

"We're talking about an extreme environment," an expert on waterborne viruses says. Rife with pathogens far offshore »

The waters around Rio de Janeiro remain highly contaminated nine months ahead of the Summer Olympics, according to a new study commissioned by the Associated Press.
The study's results are concerning on two fronts. First, the study showed high levels of both bacterial and viral pathogens, a significant concern because of the ability of viral pathogens to cause disease. Bacteria tend to break down quickly in tropical climates, the study noted, while viral pathogens can remain active for months.
Dead fish are pictured next to a rowing athlete as he puts his boat on the water before a training sessio. REUTERS/Ricardo …

Both bacterial and viral counts were high not only near the shore, where Rio dumps untreated sewage into the water, but farther out in open water, where boating competitions will take place. That indicates the infectious counts are not being diluted the farther out they drift from shore.
Click to expand...

The extra resistance of the fish builds muscles.
 
Jack Hays said:
1983-86 and 1996-98.
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I was there only briefly in 1984. The poverty and filth were stifling. A British counterpart explained that what I had seen wasn't the worst of it. I was happy to continue east. I was in Kisumu, Kenya for an extended period, and discovered they too were dumping raw sewage into Lake Victoria - the city's drinking water source. They had a treatment plant, but nothing with which to treat the sewage - no chlorine. Seems the shipments by rail from Mombassa never, ever made it there.
 
Jack Hays said:
They didn't play the World Cup in sewer water.
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More talking in terms of everything being ready. They always run these kind of stories before any Olympics, " Greeks struggle to finish infrastructure" " London 2012 unable to deal with security threats" etc.

Every time like clockwork.
 
Higgins86 said:
More talking in terms of everything being ready. They always run these kind of stories before any Olympics, " Greeks struggle to finish infrastructure" " London 2012 unable to deal with security threats" etc.

Every time like clockwork.
Click to expand...

I was in Athens 2003-2006. Indeed, in the run-up to the 2004 Games it was close. We joked that the paint was still drying on the stadium seats as people were filing in for the opening ceremony. Regardless, Athens had no problem equal to the incredible sewage in Rio's waters.
 
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