The 2016 Summer Olympics are right around the corner and about to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although the Zika virus, safety concerns and other environmental issues are in the spotlight, another prominent concern is the water safety in Rio.

The waters around Rio de Janeiro have been questioned for their safety because recent tests have shown that they are heavily polluted with raw sewage. According to International Business Times, “The tests are the second series carried out by AP [Associated Press], who found in July that the waters had disease-causing virus levels that are 1.7 million times higher than what would cause extreme alarm in the US or Europe.”

Becoming a host city for the Olympics is a long, arduous and expensive process. At the heart of the Olympics is the desire to better the environment. According to olympic.org, “The Olympic Movement, since the early 1990s, has progressively taken the environment and sustainability into account throughout the lifecycle of an Olympic Games project and recognized its importance: the ‘Green Games’ concept is increasingly a reality.”

Although the Olympics are intended to honor and respect sports and their athletes, environmental changes and damages can be caught in the crossfire. Over the years, directors of the games have been constantly working to reduce the environmental footprint that the games leave on their host cities.

Environmental sustainability is the ability to maintain a stable environment for a certain period of time. Without this ability, an unpredictable environment can put athletes in serious health danger. It is now required for cities who wish to host the Olympics to include a plan for environmental sustainability in their application to become a host city. “Rising costs and greater scrutiny of environmental consequences and impacts makes hosting the games a less attractive proposition and a tougher sell,” stated citymetric.com.

Because the environment is a force that is only predictable and never certain, cities are becoming less and less interested to host the Olympics. As for Rio, it is not stated whether or not the waters will be safe by the Summer Olympics, but publicity is spreading the awareness of the severity of the contamination in the waters. Perhaps this will spark people’s interests in helping to create a safer environment.