By Foster Niumata / The Associated Press
LONDON—While the Zika virus and family concerns have notably deterred some of golf’s best players from going to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the tennis elite isn’t put off.
Defending men’s champion Andy Murray said at Wimbledon on Saturday, “My plan is still to play.”
Roger Federer was also full steam ahead. “I’ll put mosquito spray on my body and take the precautions I have to,” said Federer, the runner-up to Murray in the London Games four years ago and a doubles gold medalist in the 2008 Beijing Games.
“I’m not afraid of Zika,” said Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champ from the Czech Republic. “I will definitely go there.”
Rafael Nadal headlined the Rio Open in February and has said he will go to the Olympics, if fit.
Then there was the blissful ignorance of French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.
“I don’t really know what is Zika,” she said. But the Spaniard was sure the Olympics would not proceed if the virus posed a serious threat.
The mosquito-borne disease has been linked to severe birth defects in infants born to infected women, and possible neurological problems in adults, but to Kvitova, the Olympics outweigh the risks.
She said she receives updates from a doctor with the Czech Olympic team, but admits she doesn’t read them all. But there was no way she was missing the games. “For me,” she said, “it’s like another Grand Slam.”
Federer, the father of four kids, respected the choices by the likes of golfers Rory McIlroy and Charl Schwartzel to be unavailable for Rio selection because of the virus. Other absentees, such as Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell, did not cite Zika.
“I have never reconsidered my decision,” Federer said at Wimbledon. “I know I will play. I will try everything I can to be there. For me, it’s always been a big deal, the Olympics, regardless of [tournament] points or not, or where it is.”
Murray, who had his first child in February, has always been positive about going to Rio, but has always sought the latest medical advice.
“The doctor in British tennis, who has been working there for 35-40 years, he thinks [Rio is] pretty safe, and we should be OK,” Murray said. “When I’m done here [at Wimbledon], I’ll have another chat to make sure.”
The most troubled venue for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics—the indoor cycling velodrome—meanwhile, is almost ready to go with the games opening in just under six weeks.
Rio organizers took possession of the building on Sunday with about 30 mostly Brazilian cyclists spinning around the banked track during a practice session.
This is the last permanent venue at the Olympic Park being handed over to organizers. Repeated delays and contract disputes forced two cycling test events to be canceled.
The first real racing on the track will be after the Olympics open on August 5. It will follow months of complaints from the International Cycling Union (UCI), the sport’s ruling body.
“It’s certainly not ideal, but given the circumstances, we’re very happy to have some practice this weekend,” said Gilles Peruzzi, the UCI technical delegate. After all the setbacks, he called the venue a “positive outcome.”
However, the venue is still a work in progress. Temporary seating still must go in, along with concessions and other behind-the-scenes facilities. Window cleaners were still working on Sunday at one end of the track, and painting remains to be done.
“We see that the building is still under construction, so there is a bit of dust on the track,” said Swiss rider Gael Suter, who practiced on Sunday and has already qualified for his first Olympics. “Maybe it is not 100 percent yet. But no doubt it will be ready for the Olympics, and it will be a fast track.”
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, who has spoken at handovers of almost every Olympic project, repeated his standard speech. He said limited public money was spent on the Olympics, with private companies handling key projects.
This came in exchange for concessions from the city, including exemptions in zoning laws and access for developers to prime real estate in the upscale suburb of Barra da Tijuca, the heart of the games.
Rio is spending between $10 billion to $12 billion, a mix of public and private money, to prepare for the Olympics.
Image credits: AP