Olympic sailors prepare to battle Rio sewage

For the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, there appear to be two certainties: the water quality in Guanabara Bay is bad and the venue isn’t going to change. So for the sailing events, training will include how to stay healthy.

Britain’s Olympic sailing team, deemed among the favorites, is determining what will stop them getting ill from contaminated sea water in Rio de Janeiro.

“The sailors are on various supplements to mitigate against it, but we can’t do anything about the water quality,” said British sailing team’s manager Stephen Park.

One of Britain’s top Laser sailors Nick Thompson got very sick at the Rio test regatta last year.

“Water quality is my biggest personal concern. If you are sick during the Games, it’s game over,” Thompson said, adding that he was “taking probiotic supplements and fish oil to strengthen the gut”.

Thompson, 28, said the sailors were taking other precautions such as not re-using water bottles, using mouth wash while out training and drinking flat cola, a long-standing “cure all” among people taking part in sports where water quality is poor.

Source: Reuters, full story