Should Tennis Players Boycot the Olympics (Rio 2016)

A group of scientists have published an open letter to the WHO requesting that for health reasons the Olympics should either be postponed or move to another venue.  The head of the World Health Organisation - says no because it is not as bad as the media claim or no it is too late - the disease has already spread.  The group of scientists hit back in saying that the WHO has a conflict of interest.  

The group of scientists are concerned that the world's athletes, plus the world's media, plus wealthy citizens from around the world, will descend at a location that is at a centre of an outbreak of a new type of disease, stay there for a month, then return: providing for a most efficient mechanism for the global spread of the new disease.  The head of the WHO says don't be silly the risks are grossly exaggerated by the media and the disease has already spread anyway.

It is interesting in that it seems to show that global economics trumps global health risk.   Sort of parallels to a small degree what has happened with the 2022 World Cup (Qatar).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-36401150
http://rioolympicslater.org/

Yeah a good and interesting post, but I can't see too many players boycotting, they can't risk their brand and negative publicity it would entail.

I do not know enough about Zika so do not really know the merits of the case, but I would be surprised if Olympics heeded the call.

On the other hand, I would not be surprised if some players used it as an excuse to pull out.  I suspect that many players are less interested in the Olympics than they normally let on, and Zika could give them a cover to skip them.

Current WHO advice

"The World Health Organisation's Bruce Aylward ... restated the WHO's warning that women who are pregnant or seek to get pregnant should not travel to the Zika zone or be exposed to returning partners who may have been infected ... "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-36405689

It is now known that the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted.  Hence unprotected sex with a returning partner is not recommended.  On infection the virus remains in the body for about two weeks where sexual transmission and potentially  harmful effects to the embryo / fetus can occur.  At the moment it is unclear whether the virus can remain in the body in a dormant phase giving rise to later re-infection or sexual transmission.  The WHO advice suggests they believe the virus only remains in the body for two weeks - at the moment there is no evidence that it remains in the body any longer.  Guidance on protected sex is 28 days.

Wouldn't really bother me one way or t'other, if they do or they don't.

Now ...... if they suddenly decided to boycott a Slam .....

Debatable whether player boycotting or skipping the event would make a big difference. I mean, how many participants, entourage, media, and fans and family, and others, are travelling to the event from other countries do you think? Perhaps a few hundred thousand.

Djokovic says cancelling unthinkable
http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/36407368
"I don't know what to think anymore. I need to get informed more so I can speak more in detail about it." That is a smarter quote from him.