Olympians Could Compete Amid "Medieval" Sewage System in Rio -- Media Watch

(ATR)One public health expert has called Rio de Janeiro's sewage system "medieval," comparing it to that ofLondon or Paris in the 14th or 15th century.

An AP report published on Thursday highlights the future Olympic host's "lack of basic sanitation."

The AP says that whileOlympic athletes will compete in polluted waters during next year's Games, "it's hardly news in areas like the Rocinha slum, where contact with untreated waste is an everyday reality for tens of thousands of families.

"The consequences are not fleeting. They reverberate for decades, dooming many children exposed to this filth to lives stunted by illness."

Matt Bonesteel, an editor for the Washington Post,says that with 11 months to go until the Olympics open in Rio, Brazil has major issues. "The problems extend much further than the filthy water that has sickened athletes who have used the aquatic venues planned for the Games.

"Economic difficulties - exacerbated by construction of venues for last year's World Cup and the Olympics - led harried Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff to submit a budget that had a built-in deficit of about $10 billion."

2024 Bid Race

Los Angeles leaders announced the city's bid for the 2024 Olympics on Sept. 1.Citing the city's Olympic aspirations, L.A. Times reporter Laura J. Nelson says that L.A. County transportation officials are seeking to fast-track two of Metro's most anticipated rail projects.

Nelson adds, "In letters sent Tuesday and obtained by The Times, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority formally asked to join a Federal Transit Administration pilot program that could accelerate construction on a subway to the Westside and a rail connection to L.A. International Airport.

"With federal approval, Metro would follow an 'extremely aggressive' schedule to finish the Purple Line subway extension and the LAX train station and people-mover by 2024."

Toronto Star columnist Martin Regg Cohn says that the 2015 Pan American Games do not qualify the city for the 2024 Olympics. "Olympic fever is afflicting our politicians as they make a mad dash for the gold," he says.

"The spectacle of Mayor John Tory conferring yet again with Premier Kathleen Wynne this week on how to backstop a bid for the 2024 Games shows Toronto's perennial obsession, bordering on blind hysteria, is back."

Cohn adds, "With a looming Tuesday deadline to join the bidding process, here are the top three reasons - gold, silver and bronze - to drop out of the race. Because if we win, we lose."

NOCs must submit a letter of intent to bid for the 2024 Games to the IOC by September 15.

DevastatingFloods Hit Areas North of Tokyo

Beginning earlier this week, the Asahi Shimbun reports that "record-setting downpours in Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures led to heavy flooding with dramatic rescue scenes played out on TV of helicopters airlifting people to safety as waves of swirling floodwater crashed against homes."

Both prefectures are approximately two hours northeast of Tokyo, the host for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

USA Today reporter Kirk Spitzer says that no deaths were reported, "But authorities said at least 15 people had been injured, including two seriously.

"Ninety-six people were reported rescued by late Thursday, and at least 10 others were still missing. Around 100,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes."

Spitzer adds, "The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of continuing floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Etau, which crossed into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday after pounding central Japan with heavy rain and wind for two days."

In Other News

Former Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis opens up to The Wall Street Journal about his new method for staying fit. "At 54 years of age, Lewis says tumbling, trampoline and trapeze work have helped him maintain his fitness."

He tells reporter Jen Murphy, "I'm not as lean as I was but I feel as good as when I retired in 1997."Lewis competed in four Olympic Games and won nine gold medals.

Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton's new book, Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running From Madness, explores her life after athletics, when she spent time as an escort in Las Vegas.Sports Illustrated is featuring an excerpt of the book in this week's issue.

The International Sports Press Association has prepared an exclusive edition of its quarterly magazine.The bonus publication is dedicated to two Young Reporters Programs held during the 2015 European Games and in the UEFA U21 European Championships.

Compiled byNicole Bennett

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