Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman said that the sewage and garbage-infested waters that will stage several events at the Olympics next year will be "fixed" in time for the Games, according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. The "shocking state of the venues for sailing, rowing, and open-water swimming -- which are accused of making athletes sick -- has raised the threat of them being relocated less than 12 months out." Nuzman urged sports governing bodies not to "give up" on a problem he vowed to devote himself to solving (TELEGRAPH, 9/1). AL JAZEERA reported Nuzman said that a new sewage system "will be built in Rio de Janeiro to help clean up the water for the sailing events." Nuzman said the improvement of water quality was "a key priority" and a "serious matter," affirming that the port of Marina da Gloria should "be totally cleaned up by the end of the year" (AL JAZEERA, 9/2).
TESTING THE WATERS: The AP reported Olympic organizers promised "to introduce viral testing in the polluted waters in Rio de Janeiro where about 1,400 athletes will compete in next year's games." Nuzman said that "his team was still studying how best to carry out the analysis and what pathogens to search for." Nuzman said, "The viral tests, we will do and we will repeat this because the most important (thing) for us is the health of the athletes. We are working with our medical department and looking for this." If the tests come back positive for viruses, organizers "will assess the best way of cleaning up the water rather than abandoning any venues, such as Guanabara Bay, which is the venue for sailing and wind surfing." Nuzman said that "he did not know when organizers would be ready to start the testing but indicated it could be by the end of the year." He said, "We are working daily, on a daily basis to create the test" (AP, 9/2).
