Athletes worried about Zika before Rio Olympic test event

The are being given advice on how to proceed

International athletes set to compete in an Olympic diving test event in Rio de Janeiro next week have asked about risks linked to the Zika virus, but have not cancelled participation, one of the organisers said on Friday.

"They are concerned and are being given advice on how to proceed," Cassius Duran, a former Brazilian diver, told reporters at the inauguration of the remodeled Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, where the Olympic diving will be held in August. Duran said organisers were telling athletes to use repellents against mosquito bites, the primary means of transmission of the virus.

Athletes and visitors planning to come to the Olympics have expressed concern about Zika, a virus linked to birth defects in newborns, which has been reported in more than 30 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

US tennis player John Isner said on Friday that he was taking precautions before the Rio Open scheduled to begin on Monday, but said he was not very worried and had no intention of skipping the Olympics because of Zika. "This will not be a reason to not go to the Games," said Isner, ranked No. 12 in the world and No. 1 in the United States. "In six months, I think they will have this well under control."