Guanabara Bay which will host sailing events during the 2016 Rio Games – which for all intents and purposes is only 16 months away – currently is still heavily polluted despite the cities promises to clean up bay. Yesterday (via The Big Lead) Getty posted images of just how bad the bay actually is which will obviously pose safety/health risks for athletes once the games come around.
Rubbish and sewage flow into the bay through its 55 rivers, once a watershed boasting rich biodiversity. Most of these rivers are now dead and bring sewage and piles of rubbish into the bay. (BBC)
At this point it’s hard to imagine which will be the bigger disaster… Sochi with all their problems or Rio with all their problems.