In just a few months the world will gather in Rio, Brazil to see the best athletes compete for gold at the 2016 Summer Olympic games. Since the first games were held in B.C. Greece, people have been brought together by these rigorous games showing off what each country has to offer. The host city is changed every four years, and is expected to produce a grand "stage" for games to held in, with exuberant opening ceremonies, to world class arenas for competitions to take place . With Rio's time to host the world coming up quickly, concerns have come up about the Rio's preparedness in light of recent events. From the Zika virus to the current economic slump the city is experiencing, and other health issues, people are starting to wonder;  if this is the best time for Rio to host the Olympics. Health officials, athletes, and certain countries are advising certain groups of people to stay away from the games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has held emergency meetings considering the issues the games must address. With all these problems facing the games, why not just postpone them until they can be resolved?  There are suggestions to postpone the games to give the city time to resolve some controversies and also reassure attendees that they will be safe during the games. 

The Zika virus has been a huge topic in recent health news headlines causing panic in many communities. This disease has mainly been active in tropical countries since the 1950's, but recent outbreaks in Brazil this year have allowed the world to see the crippling effects of the virus.  Recent connections between Zika and Guillain-Barre disease have created a lot of concern about the safety of people in Rio. Also there is concern for the effect that Zika has on pregnant women.  The effect is devastating; many children born to women with the illness contract Microcephaly. This deformation causes an abnormally small head in babies along with a small brain size. Increases of the deformation in areas where the illness has surfaced have been steep. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that over the next twelve months in the Americas, the amount of cases could rise to between three and four million cases. 

 For pregnant women attending the games, Zika poses a serious risk for their health and also the health of their children. Along with viewers, many athletes also compete while pregnant or plan having families soon after the games.  Red flags for women are especially a concern since it is not known how long after the disease is contracted before causing Microcephaly in a fetus.  Though the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a travel warning for women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, not to travel to the Rio Olympics; the issue doesn't stop there.  A recent case in Texas has shown that the disease can be transferred sexually, which now put all sexually active people at risk. Hope Solo, a United States (US) soccer,  was quoted saying "All I can do is speak for myself. If the Olympics were today, I would not go." based on the current situation. The comment was based on the fact that she plans to have a family one day and does not know the effect the virus could have on that part of her life. While many women are voicing concern over the issue of family planning, there are also some men athletes who see it as a major road block also. New Zealand Olympian Nick Willis is also planning on putting his baby plans on hold while competing in the Rio games. His wife is one of his coaches, and with already having a two-year old son, they are afraid that trying to have a baby while being around the virus could have some serious negative consequences. Nick plans to follow the CDC's guidelines that say to wear condoms after the trip, and to also abstain from sex while his partner is pregnant. While not much is known about the the impact that the Zika could have in the coming games, this fact is on the minds of athletes and their loved ones as the plan for their safety. The attendees and athletes will have to ask themselves whether or not the 2016 Rio Olympics are worth putting their children at risk. 

The question on a lot of people minds is; what are the IOC and Rio officials doing to stop the current outbreak and protect the players. The officials have created a task force of around 3,000 workers to spray insecticide and look for standing water around areas. Also Olympian Officials have assured the public that the risk will be decreased due to the fact that it will be winter in August; meaning that the mosquito reproduction will cease. The Rio Olympic committee is promising their athletes, and wary visitors that the threat is not going to ruin the festivities that they are planning. But with the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization sounding the alarm for travelers going to the games, wouldn't it just be easier to postpone them. Pushing the games back would give officials more time to determine how great of a risk exposure facing the visitors, and how to more effectively monitor the spread of the disease. With Zika being such a new disease to much of the modern world, postponing the games would give athletes a greater amount of time to figure out what's best for them, and their families, and to learn more about the effects that it could have on them. If the Rio games continue on as planned, it is putting large amount of the population at risk due to the people attending contracting the disease, and then traveling back to their home countries with the disease.  The IOC could show their main concern is the safety of the world population by just holding off on the games, allowing for some of the issues related to Zika to be resolved. 

When Rio, Brazil received the bid to host the Olympics just seven years ago, their economic outlook was promising, with security overflow budgets put in place in case they went over budget while preparing for the games. With exactly six months to go before the games being this summer the city is in one of the worst recessions that has been seen in their modern time. The crisis has caused for 1.5 million jobs to be lost, along with a 10 percent inflation rate that has caused major economic turmoil for those living in the country, and plans for the Olympics to be cut back big time. 

Building The Olympic Park, the center piece of the summer games, in any host city calls for billions of dollars to complete the mass arenas, but when money begins to run low, the preparedness of the games beings to suffer.  Back in august the Rio Olympic committee declared that they needed more the one billion dollars extra to complete a subway line connecting the Olympic park to the rest of the city. Now in March 2016, the plans are behind schedule, and the budget is now on loaned funds, so it looks slim to none that the park will be completed.  Rio struggles with traffic daily with its huge population, so a hitch in the transportation plan for millions of visitors could cause great headaches for everyone involved. Even though evidence has shown that the line is behind schedule, the Rio De Janerio Transport Secretary Rodrigo Viera is quoted saying " ... in the following month (July) we will have Line 4 fully operational," after testing the line in June. One thing is for sure that if the line isn't finished the transportation flow will be crippled by the back up plan of using busses for millions of people. 

Along with transportation plans being delayed, as of the beginning of 2016 construction workers have begun to protest for not being paid since before December 2015. The protestors warned that if they don't start getting paid, a lot of venues will not get completed in time for the August games. In the beginning of February, venues such as the swimming, track and field, and the international media center have yet to be completed, or were greatly scaled back. The swimming venue in particular has faced large cuts such as the seating being reduced by almost 4,500 seats than what was originally planned. Along with the swimming venues, the rowing venue seating has been sliced to 6,000 seats from 14,000. In comparison the rowing venue in during the 2012 London games had 25,000 seats filled with viewers eager to watch the events. Olympic officials have even placed the responsibility on the athletes by suggesting that they would have to pay for air conditioning in their rooms.  Fortuantely, the idea was thrown out from the suggestions.  Air conditioning for athletes competing and training in almost seventy-degree weather, is a commodity that should not be considered frivolously.  Thankfully the Rio Olympic committee found enough money to fund free air conditioning for all of the Olympic village. These cuts seem not only to effect the people watching the games, but also the natives to the city. 

Postponing the Olympics could not only help the current economic crisis at large, but will also provide a better experience for everyone attending. While the games will bring in significant income for the city, by just pushing it back, the committee could make good on some of the broken promises they have made to the IOC. With spotty transportation, half done venues, and less than stellar amenities, the games run the risk of disappointing everyone who has come to see the world compete. The extra time would give the economy a chance to bounce back, allow job growth to increase, and hand the committee the time they obviously need to complete the infrastructure needed for an event on this scale. The athletes, visitors, and community all deserve the best outcome that postponing the games could give them. 

The list of issues that this Olympics is facing doesn't end with the unpreparedness of the city itself. Not only is the city of Rio facing a current public health Zika crisis, but the city has also been dealing with a local crisis of their own for decades. The water in the bays used for several sports events is dirty, and if not dirty, just down right disgusting. At the time of the world cup, only twelve percent of sewage in the city was treated, the rest that was not lead straight to the popular tourist beaches of Cococabana and Guanabara bay. These beaches are not only big tourist attractions, but they are also the site of the rowing, and sailing competition's come August 2016. Part of the deal with the IOC required the city to clean up the beaches, but the officials are beginning to realize that the task may be too great to achieve.

Here in the US, there are set limitations on how much bacteria can be in public water ways to consider it safe for humans to use. According to a 2015 Associated Press (AP) report, the water ways planned to be used for the games had a bacteria rate up to 1.7 million times the level considered safe in the U.S or the U.K. Some of the pathogens are linked to hepatitis, gastrointestinal illnesses, and respiratory illnesses, along with other diseases such as MRSA. After a testing event in the water German Olympic sailor Erik Heil contracted MRSA, flesh eating disease, and swears it was the water that made him sick. While global experts question whether or not he actually did contract it there due to the fact it is usually only contracted by skin, there have been situations where it has been found in sewage. Along with this disease, other athletes that have come into contact with the water such as thirteen U.S rowers have contracted nasty stomach viruses after competing in the designated areas. Not only does the water pose a greater risk for an athlete's health for the future, but potential illnesses could cost them the chance to go for gold during the games.  Even the people who represent the city believe that there are issues. The tour commissioner for Rio stated "''I'm not suicidal and there are times I don't go in the water,'' 

While the viruses are a huge issue in the water, it is not the only concern that rowers and sailors have about competing in the areas. There have been reports of unsightly debris in the water such as trash, deformed fish, and parts of dead bodies have been found in the area. The debris is a major issue for the water sports considering that it could interfere with their performances.  Back in 2013 windsurfer Dorian van Rijsselberghe said "We had to slalom through the water to avoid plastic garden chairs, a refrigerator, [dead] animals," According to one report almost eighty to one hundred tons of trash enter the rivers every day. The water does not only show the vast incompetence for a third world city to host the games, but also gives athletes another reason to be wary of competing in the Olympics. 

The issue with the water is that Rio officials made promises that could not be kept; not just to the IOC, but also to the people of the city. The initial plan was to have at least eighty percent of the water cleaned by the time of the Olympics. With just three months to go until the games, the committee is just hoping to reach merely sixty five percent of their goal. The committee has tried to clean up the water ways by implementing new sewage lines, eco-barriers blocking raw sewage and using boats to clean up the debris. The fact is though that the water is the back bone of water sports in the Olympics, if the water is compromised, what keeps the quality of the games from being compromised too?

The Olympics is the worlds showcase for the greatest athletes on the planet. The health, and safety of everyone involved should be the primary focus for Rio Olympic Committee. It is no surprise that the issues surrounding Rio are taking up more airtime than actual information about the Olympics. Postponing the games seems like the only solution to allow the city to complete their projects, clean up the water, and combat the current Zika epidemic it has. Along with those three main points Brazil has other major issues its is facing like a current political scandal involving the former president, ticket sales for the Olympics are down with only half sold, and the Brazilian sports minster recently resigned in March n2016. The City of Rio is over their head just a few months before they are supposed to put on the worlds largest show. In reality not postponing the games just furthers the idea that the health and safety of the athletes and attendees do not matter in the grand scheme of the Olympics.

