Brazilian Golfers Offer Perspective on Zika Concerns

(ATR) Brazilian golfers Victoria Lovelady and Miriam Nagl say they cannot envision skipping the Rio de Janeiro Olympics due to the threat of the Zika virus.

Their male counterparts Rory McIlroy, a four-time Major tournament champion and Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, are among a growing number of elite athletes that have expressed concern over the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Both golf pros said they will monitor the situation before making their final decisions about whether or not to participate at the Rio Games.

Nagl, 35, and Lovelady, 29, both reside in Germany and predominantly compete on the Ladies European Tour. They are currently poised to be the two Brazilian representatives at the ladies Olympic golf tournament in Rio, August 17-20.

"I wouldn’t blink twice about going there," Nagl told ATR about competing in the Rio Games. "I wasn’t worried at all when I was there for a week."

"As a Brazilian, I’m not going to stop living my life because of Zika," Lovelady said, during a phone interview with ATR from a tournament in China. "You have to be really careful and take all the precautions. People have to inform themselves about Zika and then make their decision if it’s worth coming or not."

Both Lovelady and Nagl played in the March test event, the first tournament held on the new Olympic course in Barra da Tijuca.

"We all took mosquito spray with us for the test event, but there just weren’t any mosquitoes around – not on the golf course, not on the beach and not in the hotel," Nagl said.

The course is situated adjacent to Lake Marapendi and approximately 500 meters from the Atlantic Ocean.

"Because we have wind on the course, I think it is safe," Lovelady said. "At my sister’s house in Rio, we were killing mosquitoes. They do exist, but it does not mean that every mosquito necessarily has Zika."

Health officials have said that the risk will be lower in August as fewer mosquitoes are expected with the cooler temperatures of Rio's winter.

Lovelady noted that her fellow female golfers on tour are inquisitive, but thus far have expressed no thoughts of pulling out of the Olympic tournament.

"I’ve been asked how bad it is – we as Brazilians are used to these tropical diseases," Lovelady said. "It is alarming, but I think the passion for the Olympics is so great that female golfers are not going to be dropping out."

McIlroy and Willett could join fellow golfers Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Marc Leishman, who have opted out of the Rio Games. All but Leishman – who expressed concern about the risks of transmitting the virus to his wife, who has a poor immune system – have cited busy tournament schedules as their primary reason for passing on the Games.

"For some reason, the Olympics are a bigger deal for the women," Nagl said, regarding golf’s return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a century.

Lovelady noted that the majority of Zika cases occur in the North of the country, in rural and more impoverished areas.

"I know people that have had Zika – they survived. It’s just like a very bad fever type of flu," Lovelady said. "There is also Dengue – as Brazilians we’re kind of used of this."

Nagl noted that the Brazilian Olympic Committee sent information months ago about Zika virus precautions.

"Since then I have not heard any more concerns," Nagl said. "I’ve talked to the Brazilian coach quite often, who lives in Rio, and he hasn’t been mentioning anything.

"They’ve obviously been living with the situation in Brazil and they don’t have any worry as of right now," she said.

The International Golf Federation has also posted advice and guidelinespertaining to Zika on its website. Information was also circulateddirectly to prospective golfers competing in Rio.

Some 150 doctors and professors sent an open letter to the World Health Organization warning that it is not worth the risk to stage the Olympics in Rio.

The WHO dismissed the warning advising that there is no global health risk to justify postponing or moving the Games.

The Zika virus has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with underdeveloped brains.

The WHO issued health advice advising pregnant women not to come to the Games and for visitors to practice safe sex in Rio.

"I believe if it wasn’t going on in the Olympic host country, it wouldn’t be in the news as much as it has been over the past few months," Lovelady said.

Excitement Ramps Up for Rio Golf

Lovelady said that she will compete in the Olympic golf tournament with her husband as caddie and her father as her personal coach.

"We do have the right to bring two credentialed people so I decided to bring my husband as my caddie and my Dad as coach since he has been my biggest supporter since I started," Lovelady said. "They are the two men in my life who deserve the most to be with me during this amazing time."

Nagl is planning to travel on July 22 to her Brazilian hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, ahead of the Games.

"My whole family is coming – we’re going to go there no matter if I make it or not," said Nagl, who is currently ranked 59 among 60 golfers slated to qualify for Rio. "We’ll be in Rio for the whole time and we’re just going to enjoy the whole Olympics."

Written by Brian Pinelli

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