The spread of ebola is continuing to be a major international concern. Countries continue to take measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus, and dealing with existing infections. The problems relating to ebola have even carried over into the arena of sports recently, particularly when it comes to the Youth Olympics. As far as this particular event is concerned, the International Olympics Committee or IOC has also been forced to take rather aggressive steps in response. More specifically, the IOC has held that there are three athletes from the West African area, who will not be allowed to compete in the Youth Olympics.
This particular event will be taking place from August 16 to 28. The venue for these Olympics is in Nanjing, China. This event is a huge one for sports in general, and youth sports in particular. It is expected that around seven hundred athletes from all over the world will be competing during these two weeks.
This does not mean though that all athletes from the West African area will not be allowed to compete. Instead, the IOC has said that it has taken a look at specific sports, where there is concern that it will be possible to transmit the virus, during the competition. For example, one kind of sport where the IOC felt that the virus could be transmitted involves combat-related sports. Another one involves swimming competitions. Since the IOC believed that virus transmittal may be possible during these types of events, it prohibited athletes from ebola affected areas from competing in them.
At the same time, that does not mean that athletes from ebola affected areas, who will compete in other sports, will go about these in a regular way. Instead, they will have to undergo physical exams on a regular basis, as well as regular checking of their temperatures. This constant monitoring will be aimed at determining if any of the other athletes may also be sick, or potentially capable of transmitting that sickness to other individuals.
Clearly, the concern over ebola is quite real in the Youth Olympics. It’s of particular concern given the international character of the competition. It’s understandable that the IOC would take steps to limit the potential for the spread of infection within the Olympics. After all, if ebola somehow makes its way over to Nanjing, China, there is the risk that it may spread further, once the athletes return home to their own countries after the games.
