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 in. With Rio's time to host the Olympics coming up quickly concerns have come up about the preparedness in light of recent events. From the Zika virus, to the current economic slump the city is experiencing, and public 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, even the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has held emergency meeting considering the issues the games face. With all these problems facing the games, why not just postpone them until they can be resolved. Postponing the games would not only 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 news headlines causing panic in many communities. This disease has been active in mostly tropical countries since the 1950's, but recent outbreaks in Brazil this year has allowed the world to see the crippling effects that the virus has. The Virus is spread through mosquito bites, and sexual contact with someone who is infected. Recent connections between Zika and Guillain-Barre disease has created a lot of concern about the safety of those in Rio. Also the Zika of pregnant women is devastating considering that 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 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, and considering that it is not known how long after the disease is contracted before causing Microcephaly it raises red flags for women. Though the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has issues a travel warning for women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant to not go to the Rio Olympics the issue doesn't stop there. Recent case in Texas has shown that the disease can be transferred sexually, which now put all sexually active people at risk. US soccer star hope solo 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 statement was based off of 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 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 putting his baby plans of 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 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, one for sure is that it is in 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 in a lot of people minds is what is the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Rio officials doing to stop the current outbreak and protect the players. Well for one they 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 figure out just how great of an exposure risk their visitors face, 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 ten 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 completed 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, the looks of it being completed to plan looks slim to none based on the fact they are behind schedule, and running out of loan funds. Rio struggles with traffic with its everyday population, so a hitch in the transportation plan for millions of people 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 transporting 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 has 25,000 seats filled with viewer's eager to watch the events. Olympic officals have even placed the burden cost on the athletes by suggesting that they would have to pay for air conditioning in their rooms. For athletes competing and training in almost seventy-degree weather, is a commodity that should not be considered as fluff, it is critical to their wellbeing. Thankfully the Rio Olympic committee found enough money to fund free air conditioning in all of the Olympic village. These cuts seen not only 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 provide for 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 things that postponing the games could give them. 

The list of issues that this round of the 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 has 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. Not only do these beaches have large tourist attractions, but they also the site of the rowing, and sailing competition's come august. Part of the deal with the IOC required the city to clean up with beaches, but the officials are beginning to realize that the task may be to great to come through on.

Here in the US, there are set limitations on how much bacteria can be in public waters ways to consider it safe for humans to use. According to a 2015 Assocaitaed Press 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 bacteria 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 they haven't 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 from the games from being 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's 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 point 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 resigned recently march. The city of Rio is way above 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 Olympics. 

