Epidemiology and impact of travellers diarrhoea on participants in the pre-Olympic test event Aquec Rio 2015

Sailing competitions during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro took place in the sewage polluted Guanabara Bay.1 After strong media exposure a year before the Games, World Sailing deployed a medical team to study the impact of the environment on participants, particularly to assess the epidemiology and impact of travellers’ diarrhoea (TD) on athletes participating in the pre-Olympic test event in August 2015.2

In sailing, competitors may come into direct contact with the water. They are occasionally splashed with water and boats may capsize, depending on the wind conditions and the type of boat.3 Sailing techniques can include taking the ropes into the mouth to have the hands free for manoeuvring the boat. Breaks in regattas are used to offer sailors fluid replacement and nutrition which opens the possibility for infection from soiled hands.

A total of 688 persons participated in the Aquec Rio 2015 sailing...