Bulls' Pau Gasol worried about Zika, considers skipping Rio Games
Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol might forgo the Summer Olympics in Rio over concerns about the Zika virus.
Gasol, a two-time Olympic silver medalist on Spain’s men’s basketball team, broke down his issues with how Olympic and world health officials are handling the Zika crisis in an editorial in the Spanish newspaper El Pais and to reporters Monday at a sponsor event in Madrid.
“Are we taking the precautions that will guarantee the health and safety of fans, athletes and other professionals who will travel to Rio, or are we putting financial concerns above the health of millions of people around the world?” Gasol wrote. “These Olympic Games, the first to be held in South America, could be unforgettable. The risk is that this could be for all the wrong reasons.”
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He told reporters he is “thinking about” skipping the Rio Games. Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, can cause birth defects and microcephaly, a disorder in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. Adults can suffer from neurological problems that can prove fatal in some cases.
The World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency earlier this year, but the U.N. health agency announced on Saturday that there is "no public health justification" to postpone the Rio Olympics. The WHO’s announcement came after a group of 150 medical experts called for the Summer Games to be postponed.
“The WHO’s response has been to play down the dangers. It says that half a million people from all over the planet visiting Rio will have no consequences when they return home,” Gasol wrote. “International health and sporting organizations, as well as governments, are aware of the risks. If the Olympic Games go ahead as planned, it won’t be for lack of information about the situation. But then who’s worried about the athletes and fans headed for Rio?”
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Gasol, 35, is the latest athlete to raise concerns over Zika. Others, including tennis star Serena Williams, have also expressed their concerns. Golfer Adam Scott is not competing.
"Some of these athletes are planning to have children in the near future, and this could affect them, it could affect the health of their kids and their wives," Gasol told reporters. "Their health should come first."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.