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Dirty water at Olympics ‘not a big problem,’ says swimming president Maglione

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People wade into the water during a clinic held by U.S. triathletes for local swimmers along Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Aug. 3, 2015. The head of swimming\'s governing body says dirty water at next year\'s Olympic venues is "not a big problem." An Associated Press investigation last week showed a serious health risk to the 1,400 Olympic athletes who will compete at water venues around Rio de Janeiro that are rife with human waste and sewage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Leo Correa

KAZAN, Russia – The head of swimming’s governing body says dirty water at next year’s Olympic venues is “not a big problem.”

An Associated Press investigation last week showed a serious health risk to the 1,400 Olympic athletes who will compete at water venues around Rio de Janeiro that are rife with human waste and sewage.

At Copacabana Beach, venue for marathon swimming, an AP study showed virus readings that water experts in the U.S. say would be considered highly alarming on beaches in the U.S. or Europe.

Maglione says water quality is “not a big problem at the moment.”

He adds that FINA is in contact with the International Triathlon Union, which held an Olympic test event at Copacabana last week, to track the health of the triathletes who competed.

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