Much of the American public has been following major news outlets for information on the spread of Zika virus. It has run rampant, particularly in South American countries such as Brazil and Colombia, whose tropical climates lend themselves to the proliferation of mosquitoes and, therefore, the spread of the disease. Brazil is scheduled to hold the Olympic games this summer; many — including New York University bioethicist Art Caplan — have called for the cancellation of the games due to the Zika outbreak, but the International Olympic Committee has stated that it does not plan to cancel the event. Given the prevalence of both Zika virus and dengue fever, the only safe course of action is to cancel or relocate the sporting event. At the very least, a contingency plan is necessary in the event the Zika outbreak worsens.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has given athletes the right to choose for themselves whether to attend the games, and some have already expressed concerns about the rampancy and danger of the disease. Hope Solo, the goalie of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, stated in a February interview that if the Olympics were held, she would not attend due to the threat of infection from Zika virus. Additionally, she explained that circumstances could change as the games draw closer but, as of the time of the interview, she remained firm in her decision. Since the interview, Solo has not mentioned a change in her position on the issue.
Rio de Janeiro is expected to play host to 16,000 athletes and 60,000 fans for the Olympics, according to CNN. Participants should not have to choose between health and career success. Additionally, the World Health Organization stated that Zika poses a significant threat to women of childbearing age, due to the disease’s connection to birth defects in children born from infected mothers.
Zika spreads most commonly through mosquitoes, but cases of sexually transmitted Zika have also been reported. The disease’s sexual transmission poses another dangerous risk. If the games are not cancelled, there will be a major risk of Zika transmitting around the world through infected fans and athletes, and the epidemic will only grow in scale.
Critics may argue Zika is not a problem for the Olympic athletes because a pregnant woman would not be able to compete at such a high level. In 2012, though, Kerri Walsh Jennings won a gold medal in Olympic beach volleyball when she was five weeks pregnant. It is not impossible that an athlete competes while newly pregnant and she should not have to risk the safety of her unborn child by competing in an unsafe location. By not canceling or relocating the games, the International Olympic Committee is essentially asking women who run the risk of becoming pregnant and their male partners to choose between having successful careers and safely having children, which is a decision that no woman or man should have to make.
Critics of this plan will also state that it is impractical to cancel or relocate a worldwide sporting event that has been planned for years. At this point, however, the costs outweigh the benefits. In the past, large-scale sporting events have been relocated when there was a risk to public health. For example, in 2003, the FIFA Women’s World Cup was successfully relocated from China to the United States, due to an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
While it is a tall order to cancel or relocate the entire event, some sort of a contingency plan needs to be made in the case that the outbreak gets worse. Scott Blackmun, chief executive of the United States Olympic Committee, said: “I am unequivocally telling you that there is no Plan B, that I’m aware of. It’s just too big an event.”
It is nice to hear this confidence but it is impractical to assume that the outbreak will not get worse. Mosquitoes thrive in warm, humid climates, and summer in Brazil will be ideal for the growth of the insect population. Additionally, there is currently no vaccine for the Zika virus, so athletes cannot use that as an extra precaution. Each of the previously listed concerns about cancellation is valid, but the safety of athletes, fans and workers, both from America and abroad, is far more important than money, sport or entertainment.
Carly Mulvihill is an Viewpoint writer.
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