The Zika virus specifically as it pertains to athletes from around the world descending upon Rio de Janeiro for this summer’s Olympic Games has been an ongoing story, which came to a head with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a public health state of emergency in February.
Since then, athletes within the United States have received information via the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in the form of memos and website updates, emphasizing that the Zika virus outbreak is a priority for the organization and would be closely monitored with less than 130 days to go until the Opening Ceremony.
Now, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has included a specific list of questions on its website pertaining to the impact of Zika on anti-doping testing results, found within the section entitled ‘Rio 2016 Anti-doping Responsibilities.’
For example, under the heading of ‘Games-related FAQs’, there is a question that reads, “Are there any anti-doping issues related to the Zika virus that Olympic and Paralympic athletes should be aware of?”, to which the USADA responds, “Currently, USADA is unaware of any vaccination, treatments, or prevention measures for Zika virus that impact anti-doping at the Games. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
There is also a question reading, “Are there any prohibited substances in common US-brand mosquito repellents?”. The response proceeds to list several common active ingredients in US brand name mosquito repellents, which are not prohibited, including DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-tolua-mide or N,N-diethyl-3-methyl-benzamide), among others.
Bottom line, the insertion of these questions is a sign of the recent times on two fronts. One, that the anti-doping environment is so volatile at the moment, after the extensive doping allegations against Russian track athletes, followed by the recent meldonium-positives scattered throughout Russian sports, including Yulia Efimova from swimming. Conscientious athletes want to make sure that anything and everything entering or being applied topically to their bodies follow USADA and WADA protocol.
The second takeaway from this is simply the overall environment surrounding the 2016 Olympic Games in terms of preparation. Zika is just one of several issues having plagued Rio organizers in the timeline leading up to the Games. Other highly publicised issues include ongoing water pollution, security concerns and construction delays.