Athletes Adapt to Rio 2016 Sailing Venue -- On the Scene

(ATR) Sailors and coaches tell Around the Rings they are prepared for the realities of the water quality in Guanabara Bay, venue for sailing in the 2016 Olympics.

Sailing is holding a second test event on Aug. 14-22, one year before the Olympic Games. The federation has sent a full team including doctors and risk management evaluators to Rio, treating the event as if it were an Olympic regatta.

Sailors and coaches surveyed agreed that the issue of water quality is on their minds, but it has not impacted the training and sailing on the bay. For many, the issues regarding the water are a federation problem, not one that athletes should concern themselves with.

"When we go out on the water and we don’t even give it a second thought," John Bertrand, a coach for the Australian sailing team, told ATR.

"When we leave the harbor there is not even a consideration about what is going on in the bay. There is trash that you’ve got to look out for and that’s always a problem no matter where you go in the world. You know it does hit you when you get back into the harbor because it does stink. And we basically are sailing into a cesspool."

The Australian team started their preparations in Brazil about four weeks ago. Coaches and athletes have arrived since the advance team landed in Rio, as the team has prepared as much data as possible to deal with the tricky racing conditions. The team is treating the test event like it is the Olympic regatta to gain as much experience as possible.

Bertrand says that the Australian team is not doing anything different, outside of having sanitizer in the boat, and general hygiene.

"I do encourage the press and officials to keep pressing the point, It would be a real shame if the legacy of this event was lost, where they really could do something that is positive for the population," Bertrand said.

"It’s part of the character for this Olympics and probably not for our sport alone. You just got to accept it and the memories you take away from it will be part of it."

For athletes, the first full days of racing and training proved to be a challenge, but rewarding.

"It was pretty light so really physical some current and it made it a little trickier, but otherwise it was good racing nice physical day lot of pumping for us," Farrah Hall, an RS X class racer from the United States, told ATR.

"Sometimes on the tide lines we have some trash, it has been quite clear for the past couple of weeks and there hasn’t been any rain."

Weather forecasts for the regatta show that rain is expected towards the end of the event, which could bring up more debris in the water, a concern for organizers. If debris, such as plastic bags, were to latch on to the rudders of competition boats, it could affect the speed of the boats and potentiallyraceoutcomes.

"I think we’ve been quite lucky so far," Charlotte Dobson, a sailor in the 49er class from Great Britain, said to ATR.

"We’ve been fine [with debris] and we’re happy enough as it is. We’ve been here two weeks already in this trip and everything has been going pretty good, I think.

"I think all Olympics have their own challenges and the water presents a challenge, but I think with the organizers everything that can be done has been done, and for us we just have to go out and race, and not think about it too much."

Polish RS X sailor Bialeck Malgorzata said that even though the water was clear, she was advised by her doctors not to fall into the water to swim. Despite the warnings she remains unconcerned with racing, saying "all the water is clean enough."

Even with the favorable conditions, the athletes feel that they are learning a lot about the bay, and who it works during the test event. The course has been described as a difficult one that requires athletes to be the best overall sailor to win the competition.

"We have to learn all the elements of the race courses, things are changing a lot, and it is also neat that every course is like a totally different thing," Sarah Newberry, a sailor in the NACRA 17 class from the United States, said to ATR.

"We’ve done everything we can do to prepare to sail here and we’re still going to do our job. We like it here. The ocean is gorgeous here, with big waves a lot of days."

In addition to treating the test event like an Olympic regatta, the International Sailing Federation has added a new potential course outside of the bay, which it will test during the competition.

Dubbed "Pai," a spokesperson for ISAF told ATR that course was added to add "more flexibility" to the racing program, instead of potential concerns over racing inside Guanabara Bay.

The spokesperson said that adding an additional course outside the bay, gives the opportunity to allow for racing on days when winds are not strong inside the bay, to ensure the full racing program is completed. Only the men’s and women’s one and two person dingy and the men’s heavyweight dingy will use the new course.

Racing will continue through Aug. 22, with reserve days spread out through the week for each class.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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