Rio de Janeiro

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Australia Team: Olympic Village Unfit for Habitation

The mayor says he'll give them a kangaroo

(Newser) - Australian athletes and coaching staff are in hotels instead of Rio's Olympic Village because the accommodations are in terrible shape, the head of the country's delegation says. Kitty Chiller says the problems include "blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed,...

Rio Olympics, Now Brought to You by Insect Repellent

And Zika virus, capitalism

(Newser) - Making marketing lemonade out of infectious disease lemons, the Olympics have partnered with an insect repellent for the first time ever, Bloomberg reports. More than 100,000 bottles of OFF!, a repellent "widely used" in Brazil, will be given to athletes, volunteers, and staff during next month's Olympics...

There's a Silver Lining to Zika at the Olympics

It's weeding out the athletes who have no business being at the Games: David Kahn

(Newser) - Top athletes including Rory McIlroy have pulled out of the Rio Olympics over Zika concerns. Good riddance, argues David Kahn. "Golfers, along with stars from other already enriched sports, have no place in the Olympics," he writes at Bloomberg . Golfers and tennis players, who compete in international tournaments...

Rio's Newest Problem: 'Super Bacteria' in the Water

And a nasty oil slick in Guanabara Bay, right where sailors are set to compete

(Newser) - Rio de Janeiro has been plagued by body parts on beaches , muggings , and Zika fears ahead of the Summer Olympics, and now a "super bacteria" has entered the mix. Brazilian scientists say the drug-resistant bacteria was found along the coast of popular beaches including Flamengo and Botafogo, both of...

It's Unprecedented: Triplets Going to Olympics

Luik sisters of Estonia are about to make history

(Newser) - Two hundreds sets of twins have competed at the Olympics, but an Olympic historian says he's "99.9% sure" that triplets never have—in the same Olympic Games, or even separate ones. That will change next month when Estonian sisters Leila, Liina, and Lily Luik—the Trio to...

Rio's Latest Problem: Body Parts on Olympic Beach

Foot, other body parts found Wednesday

(Newser) - The beaches of the Rio Olympics just added gory to gross : Police say a foot and other body parts possibly belonging to a young adult turned up on Copacabana beach Wednesday—right in front of the Olympic Beach Volleyball Arena, reports CNN . Little is known about the case, but it'...

Rio Governor: Olympics Could Be 'Big Failure'

Acting governor warns that federal government payout is needed

(Newser) - Rio de Janeiro's acting governor warned Monday that the Olympic Games could be a "big failure" because of budget shortfalls that threaten to compromise security and mobility during the games. In an interview with Rio's O Globo daily, Francisco Dornelles said the state is still awaiting an...

Rory McIlroy Drops Out of Olympics Over Zika Fears

Golf is making its first appearance at the Olympics in 112 years

(Newser) - Golfer Rory McIlroy won't be participating in this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro over concerns about the Zika virus, the BBC reports. According to the New York Times , he's the "highest-profile athlete" to pull out because of Zika so far. McIlroy, who was going to...

Athletes Are Already Getting Robbed in Rio

Australian Paralympian robbed at gunpoint on Sunday

(Newser) - The Olympics are still six weeks away, yet several athletes have already become victims of crime in Rio. Australian Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch, 47, says a man with a gun demanded money, then pushed her off her bicycle as she rode in a park on Sunday. A second man stole...

Rio Declares Financial Emergency Just Weeks Before Olympics

Not to mention looming 'public calamity' and 'social collapse'

(Newser) - With less than 50 days before the Olympics, the state of Rio de Janeiro officially declared financial emergency while warning of a "serious economic crisis" and looming "public calamity," the BBC reports. According to Reuters , Gov. Francisco Dornelles declared the state of financial emergency Friday, requesting federal...

Athletes, Coaches Freezing Sperm Before Olympics Over Zika Fears

But few plan on staying home

(Newser) - The Zika virus is adding a whole new wrinkle to the way athletes and coaches are preparing for the Olympics this year. For example, the New York Times reports John Speraw, coach of the US men's indoor volleyball team, is freezing his sperm before traveling to Rio. “My...

Pregnant Savannah Guthrie: I'm Skipping Olympics

She's the highest-profile NBC employee to opt out so far

(Newser) - Today co-host Savannah Guthrie is pregnant with her second child—which means she won't be heading to Brazil to cover the Olympics this summer. "I’m not going to be able to go to Rio, so you’ll have to go to beach volleyball without me," she...

US Olympic Basketball Team Loses NBA's MVP

Stephen Curry won't be going to Rio Olympics in August

(Newser) - Stephen Curry has withdrawn from consideration from the Olympics, leaving the US basketball team without the NBA's MVP. Curry said Monday in a statement that he has decided to pull out for "several factors—including recent ankle and knee injuries." He didn't specify what the other...

Refugees Get Their Own Team at Olympics

Athletes come from South Sudan, Syria, Congo, and Ethiopia

(Newser) - Ten refugee athletes from Africa and the Middle East were selected Friday to compete under the Olympic flag at the Rio de Janeiro Games in what the IOC said represents a "symbol of hope" for migrants and refugees around the world, the AP reports. The members of the first-ever...

Zika Fears Sideline US Cyclist With Pregnant Wife

Tejay van Garderen won't compete at Rio Olympics

(Newser) - American cyclist Tejay van Garderen has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Rio Olympics amid concerns that he may contract the Zika virus and pass it along to his pregnant wife, reports the AP . He is believed to be the first athlete to back out of the Summer Olympics...

Detroit Tigers Pitcher Contracted Zika

Francisco Rodriguez said he didn't feel like himself for 2 whole months

(Newser) - When he's not pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Francisco Rodriguez heads home for some R&R in his native Venezuela. But the 34-year-old came back from the last offseason with more than just memories: He contracted the Zika virus , and it wasn't pleasant, ESPN reports. For two entire...

Rio Gang-Rape Victim: 'Nobody Deserves This'

Describes assault, stigma that followed

(Newser) - "I fell asleep and woke up in a completely different place, with a man under me, one on top of me and two holding me down," the Rio de Janeiro teenager who was allegedly gang-raped by more than 30 men says in an interview , per CNN . "I...

Arrest Made in Case of '33-Man Gang Rape'

The cops are seeking survivor's boyfriend, too

(Newser) - Brazil police have identified four suspects and made an arrest in the shocking case of a Rio de Janeiro teenager who was allegedly gang-raped by more than 30 people, the New York Times reports. Police say they're interrogating the still-unidentified suspect, who was nabbed after some 70 military police...

More Than 30 Men Sought in Gang Rape of Teen Girl

Videos and photos of the attack posted online garnered hundreds of likes

(Newser) - Brazilian police are searching for more than 30 men suspected of gang-raping a 16-year-old girl May 21 in a Rio de Janeiro slum, CBS News reports. Police only became aware of the crime after two men posted photos and videos of the naked and unconscious victim online, along with jokes...

Expert Says Olympics Should Be Rescheduled Over Zika

He says the lives of many thousands of unborn babies are at risk

(Newser) - "But for the games, would anyone recommend sending an extra half a million visitors into Brazil right now?" University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran writes in the Harvard Public Health Review . According to the AP , Attaran is calling on the International Olympic Committee to postpone or relocate the Summer...

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