Fansided

Rio 2016: U.S. rowers will have antimicrobial suits

By Nick Tylwalk

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 12: A rower paddles on the polluted Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon on August 12, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Last week 15 U.S. team members became ill after competing in the waters at the World Junior Rowing Championships. Some believe the illnesses were caused by the polluted waters at the lagoon although Rio officials said the waters were not to blame. The lagoon will be the venue site for rowing events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 12: A rower paddles on the polluted Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon on August 12, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Last week 15 U.S. team members became ill after competing in the waters at the World Junior Rowing Championships. Some believe the illnesses were caused by the polluted waters at the lagoon although Rio officials said the waters were not to blame. The lagoon will be the venue site for rowing events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Unfortunately, what the athletes in the water-based sports might really need is something designed by Tony Stark.

The water in Rio might not be safe for the Rio Olympics, but at least the people running Team USA are willing to try anything possible to protect the athletes.

A report by the Associated Press (via ESPN.com) says that U.S. rowers will have special, high tech training suits as they practice for their events in Rio to help reduce the chances of waterborne infections. Boathouse Sports has designed the suits to incorporate special antimicrobial materials, as well as water-repellant qualities.

(It also will allow rowers to go commando, which falls into the “too much information” file.)

While the suits are intended for training and not necessarily competition, the rowers themselves could choose to use them for the actual events too.

The sad need for such measures are due to the amount of water pollution in the bodies of water that will host some Olympic competitions around Rio. Because human waste flows into some rivers in the area without treatment, that dirty water inevitably ends up contaminating just about every other water source.

Brazil’s government has proven inept at managing the problem to date, surfers have been getting sick there at events earlier this year, scientists have been warning about the danger and it seems like a disaster int he making. Steps like the ones U.S. Rowing and Boathouse Sports are taking are good to see, but it’s unfortunate that they’re even necessary.

For more coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics, please visit our hub page.

Home/Summer Olympics