Marc Leishmann becomes the latest golfer to announce he will not go to Rio, citing fears about contracting the Zika virus (and passing it on to his wife). I know the golfers are probably not viewing the Olympics as seriously as competitors in most other sports, for whom it is the pinnacle, but is this going to start going to become an issue?
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
The Zika infection causes no or only mild symptoms similar to a mild form of dengue fever. It is treated by rest.
If he experiences no symptoms and he is worried about transmission to his wife, he could consider using a condom for the recommended period of eight weeks after his return in order to minimise risk.
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
The link between the Zika virus and microcephaly is grossly overstated, this panic is groundless. The press coverage has been irresponsible at best.
To put things in perspective, there are approximately 25,000 cases of birth with microcephaly in the US, and almost none of these are related to the Zika virus.
Some in the alternative media have speculated that most microcephaly cases in Brazil are related to environmental pollution, Brazil being the world's largest user of pesticides, with some of the most lax regulations (many of those pesticides being banned in first world countries). Other factors like malnutrition and substance abuse during pregnancy might also factor in.
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
Japanese golf will benefit from the "bounce" the Olympics will give it - it's been on a bit of a slump for a decade now, with their top events dwindling in number, rarely attracting foreign stars like they used to, and the domestic players not really making the international impact they once did. In the 1980s, Japan regularly boasted 2 or 3 players in the top ten at any given time, now they have one in the top 50.
I expect more and more withdrawals from the top players this year, though. Zika is, I suspect, a convenient cover story for "I don't want to travel halfway round the world to play in the tropics in an event with postmen from Bolivia that no-one's really going to pay much attention to. And stay in the athlete's village? Seriously? The FedEx Cup starts the following week, that's worth about $13m."
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
Golf will be in in 2020, as will rugby (sevens), as Japan is a solid regional rugby power, and 7s has a good regional presence.
They'll need to drop one sport to accomodate for the new disciplines, that might be taekwondo, which is vulnerable for cultural reasons.
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
Hahaha
Golftwat Rory has just been on local TV claiming he only got into golf to enrich his own ass and doesn't have any particular desire to help grow the game. Reckons he'll probably only watch the track & field events 'the events that matter'.
Oh well. He'll still be watching more of it than I will. Mercifully I'll be abroad for a large chunk of it.
At least I think that's what he said.
Hard to tell with his evolving mid-Atlantic accent.
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
Calvert wrote: Hahaha
Golftwat Rory has just been on local TV claiming he only got into golf to enrich his own ass and doesn't have any particular desire to help grow the game. Reckons he'll probably only watch the track & field events 'the events that matter'.
Oh well. He'll still be watching more of it than I will. Mercifully I'll be abroad for a large chunk of it.
At least I think that's what he said.
Hard to tell with his evolving mid-Atlantic accent.
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
In a way it's admirable he's admitted he can't be arsed with the Olympics because he can be off making money elsewhere and doesn't really care about expanding the sport. Maybe he should've just said that earlier instead of using some spurious excuse about a virus not exclusive to golf courses in Brazil.
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Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?
Odd to just pick him out, when Simona Halep has made the same decision at basically the same time and more explicitly cited Zika.
The Olympic gold matters in Tennis. Not as much as a Slam, but it is something that players build their schedule around, rather than squeezing it in if it's convenient. It's not the pinnacle of the sport and can't ever hope to be, but it is taken seriously which (men's) Golf is clearly failing to do. For example, Rafa Nadal bothered fighting an appeal that he wasn't eligible to get the opportunity to play. Does that reasonable regard make it worth a place?
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