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Hope Solo

Hope Solo says right now she wouldn't go to Rio Olympics because of Zika

USA TODAY

U.S. star goalkeeper Hope Solo says she has concerns about competing in the Olympics because of the spread of Zika virus in Brazil, according to a report.

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“If I had to make the choice today, I wouldn’t go [to the Olympics],” she said in an interview with SI.com on Monday.

Olympic officials and the local organizing committee in Rio have discussed plans in recent weeks to address the outbreak of Zika, which has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect that causes babies to have abnormally small heads.

Organizers are already monitoring Olympic facilities to destroy breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the virus.

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“I would never take the risk of having an unhealthy child,” Solo said in the SI.com interview. "... Competing in the Olympics should be a safe environment for every athlete, male and female alike. Female athletes should not be forced to make a decision that could sacrifice the health of a child.”

On Monday the U.S. Olympic Committee said it hasn't advised athletes to reconsider competing because of Zika. "Team USA looks forward to the Games and we did not, would not and will not prevent athletes from competing for their country should they qualify," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement.

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