Botswana on Zika alert ahead of Olympics
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday February 11, 2016 14:31
Botswana intends to send around 20 athletes and officials to the sport’s biggest global showpiece.
The Zika virus, spread through mosquito bites, has been blamed for thousands of babies born with crippling birth defects.
The Rio Olympics will be held in August but now there are fears for athletes and officials’ welfare following the outbreak of the virus, which the World Health Organisation has declared a global public health emergency.
BNOC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho told Mmegi Sport yesterday that at local level they are working with the Ministry of Health. He said the ministry is assisting with advice and at the moment they feel it is too early to make a call. He said there are measures in place to monitor the situation. Serufho said they will continue to monitor the situation closer to the games in order to make informed decisions. He said Botswana will participate in the games if the virus does not pose threat to the athletes.
“We are not going to force athletes to compete in the games if they feel their lives are in danger. We will just adopt a similar position such as Australia and the United Kingdom,” he said.
Serufho said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also monitoring the situation. He said the IOC offers the latest and best possible advice on the outbreak.
Kenya has threatened to pull its elite runners and other athletes out of the Rio Olympics unless it got assurances they will not be exposed to the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil.
Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that has surged through Latin America and has been linked to birth defects in children in the region. However, a four-year survey in Brazil suggested Zika may not be the cause of microcephaly, which results in babies being born with abnormally small heads.