Cyclist Becomes First U.S. Athlete to Pass on Olympics Due to Concerns About Zika Virus

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American cyclist Tejay van Garderen has withdrawn his name from Olympic consideration due to concerns about theZika virusand the potential effects it could have on his pregnant wife.

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WhileUSA Cyclinghas not yet selected athletes for the two spots in the men’s Olympic road race, van Garderen (who made the 2012 Olympic team) was considered a strong contender, according to CyclingTips. The two-time winner of the USA Pro Challenge recently informed the national federation that he did not wish to be considered for the Olympic team.

Van Garderen is the first American athlete known to have withdrawn from consideration for Rio due to concerns about the virus, according to theWashington Post.

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“People are probably going to have different opinions on this. I’m sure they will think what they are going to think, but the fact is, if anything were to happen, I couldn’t live with myself,” he told CyclingTips. “I’m much more at ease with this decision than I would be if I were trying to go to the Olympics.”

Van Garderen is far from being the only athlete to voice concerns about how the Zika outbreak could affect the some 500,000 athletes, fans and spectators set to descend upon Rio in August. Hope Solo,Pau GasolandSerena Williamshave all shared their concerns about the virus and five of the world’s top golfers have backed out of the games.

Last week, a group of 150 health expertscalled for the Olympics to be postponed or relocatedbecause of Zika. The World Health Organizationresponded to these concerns, starting ” cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus.”

source: people.com