Bukhosi Mangena Sports Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) will meet on Saturday to deliberate on whether or not the country will pull out of the Rio Olympics in August if the Zika virus in Brazil reaches epidemic levels.

The outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in South America is being linked to severe birth defects.

ZOC chief executive officer Anna Mguni said they will issue a statement spelling out the country’s position after Saturday’s meeting.

“The ZOC board will issue a statement after its first quarterly board meeting that will be held over the weekend and the Rio Olympic Games are a regular agenda item for the business of the day,” said Mguni.

There has been widespread fear and panic by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members, with some even contemplating pulling out of the 17-day global sporting showcase.

Kenya has already indicated that it could pull out of the Olympics, with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoting the head of the Kenyan Olympic Committee Kipchoge Keino saying: “We’re not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels.”

However, Kenya’s chef de mission Stephen K A Soi said it was too early to determine the severity of the situation and added that Rio’s organisers were “on top of things”.

Kenya joins the United States of America in contemplating pulling out of the games due to the Zika virus. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) told US sports federations that athletes and staff, who are concerned about their health due to the Zika virus, should not to go to Brazil if they don’t feel comfortable doing so.

Brazilian authorities, however, insist that there will be no risk to athletes and spectators, except for pregnant women. While the effects are generally mild, the infection has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a global health emergency because of the link to thousands of suspected cases of babies born with small brains or microcephaly in Brazil.

Some areas have declared a state of emergency and doctors have described it as “a pandemic in progress” and some are even advising women in affected countries to delay getting pregnant. The IOC says it is in close contact with organisers, while Olympic venues will be inspected daily in the lead-up to and during the Games.

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