Racing in a Cesspool?
The ‘aires‘ might be bueno in the capital of Argentina, but the agua apparently isn’t. Racing off the San Isidro area of Buenos Aires late last month, just outside the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, roughly a third of the competitors in the 49er and 49er FX Worlds reportedly fell ill due to serious gastrointestinal issues. Although organizers claimed that the six-day event came off "without a hitch," many sailors suffered from intense diarrhea, vomiting and fever — at least speculatively attributable to human fecal bacteria.
By week’s end, 49er Olympic Silver Medalists Peter Burling and Blair Tuke of New Zealand had taken top honors by a wide margin, with Aussies Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (the 2012 gold medalists) coming from behind to squeak into second ahead of Spaniards Federico and Arturo Alonso. Jensen became ill after the first day of racing in the bay’s brown waters, and remained in such rough shape throughout the week that he reportedly stayed off the water, resting except during actual races — and then, he was ferried out to the course and back by powerboat.
Although the 49er series is a mere footnote in the lives of most sailors, Buenos Aires’ pollution issues bring to mind similar health concerns about Rio de Janeiro, where the 2016 Olympic Games are slated to begin August 5, with sailing events taking place on Guanabara Bay. In the wake of serious health concerns, authorities there say they are taking measures to clean up the sailing venues. But the task seems monumental. As of last summer’s Olympic trials, only one of eight planned sewage treatment plants had been built.
