Olympic Games: The 2016 Olympics

Shut the Games Down! The Games are here! The 2016 Olympics are going to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Little do some people know that currently a virus called Zika-that affects mostly unborn babies’ brain development- is being found in the area. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) must cancel the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro due to governmental issues, Zika contaminations, and unsafe conditions.

The topic today is about the Olympic Games of 2016, because there is discussion about whether they should be canceled or continued. The Games are an issue mainly because there is an outbreak of the Zika virus in Rio. In order to understand the controversy of Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, then one must first understand the events the lead

Newborn babies are at the highest risk for brain birth development (Attaran). Pregnant women are at higher risk of putting themself and their unborn babies in a contaminated area. Not to mention: “February 26, 2016- Amid indications that the mosquitoes-borne Zika virus is causing microcephaly in newborns, the centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises pregnant women to “consider not going” to the Olympics” (Attaran). Not only are pregnant women and unborn children at risk, so are adults and children. “This virus, it seems, not only affect[ing] pregnant women and their unborn children (as IOC’s Dick Pound so crudely suggested), but also is being linked to conditions that attack[s] adults’ nervous systems (Collins). Anyone who attends the Olympics is putting oneself in a dangerous situation, but pregnant women carrying a child is at an increased risk. With expecting mothers and exposed adults, the Olympic Games should be canceled. To continue, Zika is a virus that is known to spread fairly easy, especially in Rio right now. There is a greater chance now that Zika is unavoidable,“...[B]razil’s Zika inevitably will spread globally…” (Collins). Not to mention, it takes only one person to spread Zika (Attaran). One might mention that mosquito diseases is up 600% from last year (Attaran). With this kind of increase, the chances of catching Zika is greater

Waste is an issues in Rio. “Up until now, one out of three times you flush a toilet in Rio, the contents of your toilet end up in the [bay] untreated and untouched in any way” (“Worrall”). “A lot of the Olympic events are going to happen on the water, on a big lake in the middle of Rio’s wealthy south side and in Guanabara Bay” (Worrall”).

On the other hand others feel the Games should go on. Some say the Games must continue because too much money has been invested already on the Games, such as, room bookings, flight tickets, reconstruction in brazil and investments. “The Olympics have generated about BRL 25 billion (about USD 7.1 billion) in infrastructure investments in Rio’s metropolitan area--almost matching the amount spent on the entire 2014 World Cup across 12 Brazilian cities…” (“Moody’s”) People feel it is unnecessary to cancel the Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Conversely, many are wrong to think about continuing the Olympics. Cancellation is definitely the only correct option at this point. This holds true because the harm that Zika will/has brought to Brazil is to dangerous to hold the Games. “Zika typically produces mild symptoms, such as a fever and rash. But experts now have reason to believe the virus may cause serious harm to babies born to women who contract the virus during pregnancy.” “Within six months, doctors there began reporting an unusually high