I don’t know about you, but I am a real die-hard fan of the Olympics and one who has strongly encouraged people to attend an Olympiad if the opportunity presented itself. All of the news coming out of RIO indicates that there are some serious problems that have to be contended with, with two of the major ones being Zika and security. You be the judge; the following are headlines that indicate and implicate the negative and nothing positive news coverage.
Many athletes from around the world have announced that they are not going to be competing or attending the RIO 2016 Olympics because of the many concerns that they have for their own health and safety. It’s very disappointing to some athletes who decline to participate in the games and it’s more disappointing that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has put athletes worldwide in a position to have to decide between their dream of competing in the Olympics or their health and safety.
The serious problems facing the games show no signs of subsiding prior to, during, or after the games.
The following contributed to the writing of this piece:
1.) http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/07/06/myriad-problems-overshadow-excitement-upcoming-rio-olympics.html
4.) http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/americas/rio-de-janeiro-super-bacteria/
5.) http://www.wsj.com/articles/woes-confound-rio-in-run-up-to-olympic-games-1467329562
6.) http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/rio-2016/five-key-issues-ahead-of-the-rio-olympic-games
9.) http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rio-olympics-2016-severe-water-pollution-clouds-games/
10.) http://thebiglead.com/2016/02/09/the-rio-olympics-are-shaping-up-to-be-a-gigantic-disaster/
By Fred Cromartie, Ed.D.
Dr. Cromartie, is the Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at cromarti@ussa.edu.