As the 2016 Olympics approach, there is so much going on in preparation. Trials are being held, Brazil faces troubling obstacles, and athletes are beginning to drop out. Here are just a few of the top news stories surrounding the games that viewers should be aware of.
1. Michael Phelps Returns
Even though Michael Phelps alluded to retiring from swimming after the 2012 London games, he just became the first male swimmer to qualify for five Olympic games. In the last four years, Phelps has had his share of ups and downs. He has tested positive for marijuana, gotten a second DUI and has gotten engaged. The most important event though, was the birth of his son, Boomer, seven months ago. After his qualifying race, Phelps told reporters that after everything that has happened in the last four years, he was determined to get his life and his career back on track. I think I can speak for all swimming and Olympic fans when I say that seeing Phelps back in the pool will be a great addition to the upcoming games.
2. Zika Virus Causes Athlete Drop Outs
The mosquito born virus known as Zika is currently running rampant in Brazil. The virus, which has been known to cause severe birth defects, has been causing athletes to be reluctant about traveling go the country. Some have already decided to completely withdraw. Notably already pulling out was Rory McIlroy, one of the top golfers in the world. McIlroy announced that as he would like to start a family with his fiancé, he would not be attending the Rio Olympics because of the health risks. He was not the only golfer that has dropped out though; he only tops the list of some of the world's best golfers that are not going. Despite multiple male golfers forgoing this Olympics, no female golfers have announced that they will not be going. As the reports of cases of the virus continue to pour in, there is no doubt that more and more athletes can be added to the list of those not attending.
3. Russia's Track and Field Team Gets Barred
In a ruling that has been claimed to have nothing to do with politics, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the governing body for Track and Field, unanimously ruled that the Russian Track and Field team will not be allowed to compete in the 2016 games. This ruling came after a doping scandal which accused Russian athletes of using illegal substances and the authorities covered it up by swapping urine samples and threatening drug testers. This punishment has been referred to as unprecedented because no other doping scandal has been punished so severely. The Russian Track and Field Team won 18 medals in the 2012 games, so their absence will be palpable in Rio.
4. Body Parts Surface At Beach Volleyball Venue
On June 29th, body parts including feet and other limbs washed up on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, just yards away from where athletes will be competing in beach volleyball. This gruesome scene is just one in a long list of problems Brazilian police have been having recently. Just days ago, drug trafficker Nicolas Labre Pereira escaped an Olympic recommended hospital and has caused multiple shootouts with police who are trying to recapture him. Along with the political instability that has been caused by Brazil's senate trying to suspend their President, the mood of the Olympics will most likely be a subdued one.
5. Refugee Team
One of the more positive news stories to come out of these Olympic Games is the addition of a refugee team to the competition. This team, which is sponsored by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will get all of the same benefits and necessities to compete along side the rest of the countries' teams. The team will be referred to at the games as Team Refugee Olympic Athletics (ROA) and will use the Olympic flag to represent them at the opening ceremonies and throughout the course of the games. The IOC believes that this team embodies the spirit of the Olympics and hopes to help give them a place while they have no home country to call their own. It is hoped that the whole world will cheer along for them because they have no one else to.
