Suche
This cyclist is the first American athlete to skip the Olympics because of Zika
The first U.S. athlete, American male cyclist Tejay van Garderen, has officially withdrawn his name from Olympic consideration because of Zika. His wife Jessica is pregnant with their second child and van Garderen says he doesn't want to take any risks, according to CyclingTips. If they were just trying to have another baby, he would put it off until after the Olympics, but since she's already several months old, he doesn't want to take any chances. (Learn the seven most important facts about Zika.) Selection of the U.S. Cycling Olympic team doesn't take place until June 24, so there was no guarantee...
This cyclist is the first American athlete to skip the Olympics because of Zika
The first U.S. athlete, American male cyclist Tejay van Garderen, has officially withdrawn his name from Olympic consideration because of Zika. His wife Jessica is pregnant with their second child and van Garderen says he doesn't want to take any risks, according to CyclingTips. If they were just trying to have another baby, he would put it off until after the Olympics, but since she's already several months old, he doesn't want to take any chances. (Learn the seven most important facts about Zika.)
Olympic team selection for U.S. cycling doesn't take place until June 24, so there was no guarantee van Garderen would be sent to Rio, but his withdrawal marks the first U.S. athlete to officially withdraw from Olympic consideration due to Zika risks. (And considering he was one of the riders on the US cycling team at London 2012, he had a good chance of going.)
In February, U.S. soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo told Sports Illustrated that she wouldn't go to Rio if she had to choose then. Former US gymnast and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson tweeted that she will not travel to watch the Rio Games because she is “trying to start a family.”
Other athletes aren't worried: 2012 Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas says Zika won't stop her from winning gold again. "This is my chance. I don't care about stupid bugs," she told the Associated Press. Fellow gymnast Simone Biles says she's not worried because they're all young and not trying to get pregnant, while Aly Raisman told the AP she won't think much about it until she's officially made the Olympic team. (The women's gymnastics trials are scheduled for the beginning of July.)
But the risk isn't just in Rio: Nearly 300 pregnant women in the U.S. have Zika, according to the CDC. This is big news, because the scariest effects of Zika occur in unborn children (like microcephaly - a serious birth defect that causes abnormal brain development and abnormally small heads, and another anomaly that can lead to blindness). Most pregnant women with confirmed Zika infections became infected while traveling to high-risk areas outside the United States. The good news is that it is not harmful for most people. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes), with symptoms usually lasting several days to a week. In fact, according to the CDC, only about 1 in 5 people with the virus will actually get sick from it.
But if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, it is best to be very safe and stop all travel to high-risk areas. When it comes to the Olympics, it will be up to the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic Committee and individual athletes to decide how they want to respond to the risk. (The Australian Olympic team's plan? Bring lots of anti-Zika condoms.) In the meantime, we're keeping our fingers crossed that the U.S. athletes bring home nothing but shiny gold medals.