The list of high profile players boycotting the upcoming Rio Olympics has once again expanded with the Bryan brothers announcing their withdrawal from the men’s doubles competition.
In a post uploaded to their social media account, the defending Olympic champions said that they have decided to withdraw from the event due to ‘health concerns’. Brazil is currently struggling to contain the mosquito-borne Zika Virus.
The Bryan Brothers were set to play in their fourth consecutive Olympic games and had the chance of becoming the first doubles pairing in history to win back-to-back gold medals in the men’s doubles.
“After countless hours of deliberation Mike and I have decided to forego the Rio Olympics. Though we’d love to compete again, as husbands and fathers, our family’s health is now our top priority.” Bob Bryan wrote in a statement.
“Representing Team USA is one of our proudest tennis moments to date and winning Gold in 2012 will always remain the pinnacle of our career. The Olympics means so much to us for so many reasons and the memories we have wearing the Stars and Stripes will burn brightly forever.”
According to The Washington Post, the pair made their decision on Friday shortly after their loss at the Rogers Cup.
Fears concerning the Zika Virus have created a divide in the world of sport with numerous figures differing on how threatening the virus could be to them in Rio.
Milos Raonic and Simona Halep has both withdrawn because of the threat caused by the Zika Virus. On the other hand, world No.1 Novak Djokovic will be playing at Rio and recently said that the media has made the Zika virus appear more threatening to athletes than it actually is. Djokovic’s comments has been backed by the chief of the World Health Organisation, Margaret Chan, who said the risk in Rio is ‘low’.
“We feel that the risk of Zika infection is low for an individual, and it is manageable,” Chan said in Beijing.
Another person to withdraw from Rio on Saturday was Germany’s Alexander Zverev. Unlike the Bryan brothers, Zverev’s boycott isn’t due to concerns about the Zika Virus.
Zverev is the 24th singles player to withdraw from the Olympic competition due to either injury problems or fears about the safety of their health.
