The 2016 Rio Olympic Games are only a month away. Brazil is facing obstacles, and athletes are beginning to drop out over the Zika Virus outbreak and the threat of terrorism. Here are a few stories surrounding the Olympics, you might not know about.
1. Michael Phelps Is Back
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. 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. Russian Track and Field Team Gets Banned
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 Appear At Beach Volleyball Venue
Body parts, including feet, began washing up on Rio's Copacabana Beach, just blocks away from where Olympians will be competing in beach volleyball. This bloody nightmare, is just one in a long list of problems Brazil authorities have been having recently. Last week, Brazil's drug trafficker Nicolas Labre Pereira escaped a hospital and caused multiple shootouts with police who are attempting to recapture him
5. Refugee Team
There are 10 athletes with refugee status who will compete in the Olympics this year. They have no national team or country they belong to, and will, therefore, march behind the Olympic flag and with the Olympic anthem
