Disgusting Bay In Rio Set To Host Olympic Events

Many observers were concerned about the readiness of Sochi, Russia to host the most recent Winter Olympics. However, outside of some struggles in the first few days of the Games things seemed to run according to plan.

That might not be the case with the next Summer Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition to delays and cost overruns, we have this New York Times story that brings to mind a famous scene from "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear":

Guanabara Bay, the site where the Olympic sailing and windsurfing events will take place, is filled with raw sewage and disgusting items.

Those who already are training in the area say they've never seen anything like it before. For example:

“It can get really disgusting, with dog carcasses in some places and the water turning brown from sewage contamination,” said Thomas Low-Beer, 24, a Brazilian Olympic hopeful who sails in the bay. He shuddered when recalling how his dinghy crashed into what he believed was a partly submerged sofa, capsizing him into the murky Guanabara."

More from the New York Times:

"Vast amounts of raw sewage leak into the waters. Officials set a goal of treating as much as 80 percent of it by the 2016 Olympics, but less than 40 percent is currently treated.

State environmental officials have acknowledged they would fall short of that goal...Calling the bay “dark, brown and stinking,” Lars Grael, 50, a Brazilian sailing legend who won two Olympic medals, said he had encountered human corpses on four occasions while sailing in the bay. He told reporters that officials should move the sailing events to a resort area hours away by car."

The usual warning for those traveling to Mexico is, "Don't drink the water!" For Rio, it might become, "Don't touch the water!"