A recent report released by the Associated Press revealed that both viral and bacterial tests had been conducted on the water in which Olympic athletes will compete in Rio. Experts concluded that it was highly unsafe and athletes risk becoming “violently ill and unable to compete at the Games” due to “dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from human sewage in Olympic and Paralympic venues”.
But Marcia, who is currently in Rio competing at the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 (an Olympic test event), which gets under way on Saturday, believes that despite its current state, things are improving.
“The water doesn’t look great, and there is still pollution floating around, but from what I’ve heard from sailors who were here in the past, the water quality is a vast improvement and hopefully this keeps getting better,” said the Johannesburg sailor. “It wouldn’t be fair if we have a bunch of top sailors getting ill during the games due to a problem that could have been prevented.
