Sailing Brings Large Team to Rio Test Event -- On the Scene

(ATR) To prepare for the Games, the International Sailing Federation brought officials specializing in medicine, risk management, equipment, and a full competition jury to Rio de Janeiro.

ISAF head of competitions Alastair Fox outlined the Rio preparations to journalists on Friday, the eve of the second sailing test event in Guanabara Bay.

"We are here to make sure that we learn as much as possible and make the right decisions over the coming months for the competition next year," Fox said.

"We know we have a lot of work to do and have a lot of challenges in the next two weeks to get as much information as we can about the field of play so we can make the right course decisions for next year and give the sailors a great opportunity to shine here in Rio."

Controversy over the cleanliness of Guanabara Bay has persisted since Rio city and state officials admitted that the goal of 80 percent treatment of sewage flowing into the bay would not be met by Games time.

The IOC maintains that bacterial testing done in the Bay shows the water is safe for athletes, despite media reports from the AP showing that a risk from viruses exists in a majority of Rio’s polluted waterways.

"In terms of the news about possible viral contaminants in the water, the reason we are here with our own doctor is to really get down to the point of what is going on here," Fox added.

"We are completely aware of the pollution issue, and we are now seeing this that the IOC has had a lot of discussion with the WHO right now the advise is encouraging bacterial checks and if at any point that changes we will react to that.

"We want more data collection. We want daily data collection in all sorts of areas around the bay, and we will certainly share that with all teams.""

Prior to the weekend competition, some of the athletes present had no qualms with the water and called the course "spectacular."

United States sailor David Hughes, and French sailor Jonathan Lobert both say they do not change any of their routines to train here in Rio de Janeiro.

"Disease is everywhere in the world, but of course we are focused on the Guanabara Bay," Lobert said.

"I think it is something all the world should realize and take care of this. Maybe the people will now realize that they are destroying one of the most beautiful places in the world."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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