The Olympics must be moved away from Rio

Some things are bigger than sport. Even a sporting event the magnitude of the Olympics cannot be considered more important than the health and wellbeing of people around the globe.

For someone like myself, who spends far too much time watching, re-watching, writing and reading about sport, this is a strange thing to be arguing. But it’s true.

A group of 150 doctors, scientists and other various researchers recently published an open letter urging the Rio games to be relocated or postponed because of the risks posed by the Zika virus.

Personally, if 150 experts told me not to do something because of the potentially dire consequences for my health, I’d be inclined to listen to them.

Full basketball schedule for the 2016 Olympics

The letter outlines a number of compelling reasons why the Games should be postponed or moved; other major sporting events have been moved on account of disease outbreaks (the FIFA Women’s World Cup and African Cup of Nations being two such examples), and, should the Olympics go ahead in Rio, athletes will have to make a choice between their health and wellbeing and a competition which, for many of them, will be the highlight of their careers.

But one passage, one argument, stands out more than any other:

“The Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before. An unnecessary risk is posed when 500,000 foreign tourists from all countries attend the Games, potentially acquire that strain, and return home to places where it can become endemic. Should that happen to poor, as-yet unaffected places (e.g., most of South Asia and Africa) the suffering can be great. It is unethical to run the risk, just for Games that could proceed anyway, if postponed and/or moved.”

I can’t wait for the Olympics to get underway. The smorgasbord of swimming, athletics, rugby sevens, basketball, rowing, football, cycling and just about any other sport is mouth-watering.

For Australian sports fans, this bevy of entertainment does take place during an inopportune time. Rio is 13 hours behind Sydney; much of the action will take place in the wee hours of the morning. For us, that means the inconvenience of a lack of sleep.

That pales in comparison to the consequences around the world should the Games go ahead as planned. The enjoyment of watching the Olympics just isn’t worth the risk of a Zika outbreak in Asia, Africa or anywhere else.

That’s not to mention the chance of the crisis worsening in Brazil.

The Australian Olympic team’s medical director, Dr David Hughes, who has said the risk for Aussie athletes is minimal, has conceded how serious the situation is for the local population.

“Whenever I talk about Zika I try to be a bit mindful and respectful of the fact the Brazilian people are facing a significant health challenge they can’t escape from,” Hughes said earlier this month.

“Our team is going to be flying in there for three weeks and then leaving.”

Despite all the evidence to suggest the Olympics should be put on hold, it’s hard to fathom it actually happening, and not just because the World Health Organisation has replied to the letter, saying everything should go ahead as planned.

With all the money on the line through sponsorships and TV deals, as well as all the logistical arrangements already made, postponing or moving the Games would surely be a dire financial move for the International Olympic Committee to take.

It would, however, be ethical. It would be responsible. It would be the right thing to do.

Moving the games might cost money, but doing nothing will almost certainly cost lives. And that, I think we can all agree, is far more important than three weeks of sport.