Pau Gasol is considering not playing at the Olympics because of the Zika virus.
The Spanish basketball player on Monday said there is too much uncertainty about the situation in Brazil and anyone going to Rio de Janeiro for the Games should “think about” whether it is worth the risk.
The Chicago Bulls player said other Spanish athletes have also expressed their concerns about the virus and are also considering skipping the games.
Photo: AP
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see some athletes deciding not to participate in the Games to avoid putting their health and the health of their families at risk,” Gasol said, adding that he was among the athletes making such considerations.
“I’m thinking about [whether to go],” he said. “Just like every athlete, or any other person considering going to Rio, should be thinking about it.”
Without giving names, Gasol said he talked to other athletes who told him they might not participate in the Games.
“Some of these athletes are planning to have children in the near future and this could affect them, it could affect the health of their kids and their wives,” he said at an event for one of his sponsors in Madrid. “Their health should come first.”
Brazil has been badly hit by Zika, the mosquito-borne virus linked to severe birth defects and possible neurological problems in adults.
Gasol said officials involved in the Games must come forward with “more clear information” about the risks athletes could be facing if they decide to compete in Rio.
“I hope the national Olympic committees and the health organizations can be as clear as possible about the risks in Brazil so athletes can decide whether or not to take risks,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve been told enough about it.”
Later on Monday, the Spanish Olympic Committee released a statement that included updated recommendations from the WHO regarding the virus, saying “every member” of its delegation should be aware of them.
The committee said it has been constantly relaying to the federations the information it receives from health authorities and the International Olympic Committee.
Gasol mentioned the call from 150 health specialists to consider postponing or moving the Aug. 5 to Aug. 21 Olympics, something the WHO rejected last week.
“We need to understand the seriousness of the situation,” Gasol said. “Even though there are some soothing words being said, we know that there are different opinions about the subject.”
Gasol said he is being proactive and has been trying to gather as much information as possible about the virus and the risks it could pose for himself and his family.
He said he has contacted experts in the area to try to know more about the virus.
“I feel responsible to know more about the situation and to inform everyone about it,” he said. “It’s important to talk openly about this. It’s a very delicate situation.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later