Tour News

Jason Day out of Olympics, cites Zika concerns

Published

10 years ago

Jun 28, 2016

Risk of the mosquito-born Zika virus has stricken another top professional golfer from Olympic consideration. World No. 1 Jason Day announced he won’t be competing in Rio, issuing this statement on social media.

pic.twitter.com/UNmThs64re

— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) June 28, 2016

Day’s revelation that he won’t be competing for Australia came on the same day that Shane Lowry’s similar statement that he won’t be representing Ireland. The effects of the Zika virus on golf’s stars themselves seems slight, but they aren’t concerned for their own health.

“Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms,” according to the Centers for Disease Control. “The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache.”

However, as Jason Day and other pros have indicated, the primary concern for them is the sexual transmission of the virus to their wives and that resulting pregnancies could produce children with birth defects.

Day and Lowry join a growing list of pros saying “not worth it” to the upcoming Olympic competition. Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Marc Leishman and Vijay Singh have all bowed out thus far.

With Day, Scott, and Leishman out, the current Australian team consists of Scott Hend and Marcus Fraser.

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Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

29 Comments

MikeA

Jul 3, 2016 at 1:09 pm

My bet is the golfers pulling out of the Olympics are concerned about drug test…those top golfers who have bulked up significantly have all pulled out.

Reply Report comment
- RedX
  
  Jul 4, 2016 at 4:39 am
  
  cruel call on Lowry MikeA – yes bulked up a little …
  but seriously – substance free dribbling conspiracy theorists should not apply
  maybe you should head to Rio
  
  Reply Report comment
Chris C.

Jul 1, 2016 at 10:31 pm

The Brazilian government has already acknowledged that they do not have the ability to care for the thousands of children being born with severe Zika related birth defects. Para-Olympic athletes have already been attacked. Plans to deploy 100,000 military/police are in doubt due to Brazil’s inability to pay their salaries. Rio’s bay will not be safe for swimmers or sailors. Current plans call for skimmers to be deployed to scoop up fecal matter and other solid waste ( eg. Medical waste, body parts, plastic, etc). Sailors are contemplating the use of hazmat suits or dry suits. Contrary to what some posters might believe, the Olympics is not a war. It is a great athletic event and no athlete should have to compete in conditions which will absolutely place their health and the health of their loved ones in jeopardy.

Reply Report comment
desmond

Jun 30, 2016 at 10:01 pm

Jason has had enough injuries. Doesn’t need to take the risk of more. But I think it’s more about his family not taking risks.

Reply Report comment
Jordan Speeth

Jun 30, 2016 at 8:45 am

There’s no way I’d spend two weeks ANYWHERE near Rio during this Olympics. The most popular sport there is kidnapping wealthy foreign tourists for ransom, but they really don’t mind who they kidnap as long as there might be some ransom money. They also don’t take one or two people at a time, they often commandeer entire buildings with hundreds of residents in them. It’s a freaking nightmare. I wouldn’t set foot near the place. The traffic is bad enough without the Olympics and the only way these guys will get to their venues might be by helicopter. Any day, it can take hours just to get from Ipanema to Leblon. I was there decades ago (when it was better) when Michael Jackson had a concert there. Not one or two, but dozens of people were throwing “rented” infants in front of his motorcade in hopes of shaking him down for money….dozens. Ten years later, I was there for an F1 Grand Prix and witnessed a dead body in the road leading into Jacarepagua that was left laying there for at least 12 hours. I guess, at least, someone kicked the body into the opposite lane on the way out of the track. I’ve got plenty of really wealthy friends there and the nicest cars they can drive might be a Nissan Pathfinder to avoid attracting attention to their wealth. Their children have 24/7 bodyguards. I think that, at first, these young 20-something players were thinking, “hey, exotic Rio….how cool!”…then the stories from people who know probably started rolling in. I would do anything in my powers to keep any of my children from going there for any reason. I would think less of these players intelligence if they DID go. It’s not about ZIKA, or the Olympics, or the golf, or the players that are bowing out….IT’S ABOUT RIO! If these games were ANYWHERE else, they’d all be going. Wake up pundits. Maybe you’ve been coddled through there with the IOC mucky-mucks but if you think that place is safe, you’re crazy…purely delusional and, if you think the police there will be of any help whatsoever, again, you are dreaming. Why do you think they find scores of homeless street kids on the beach with a single bullet in their head every year? There is truly no place like Rio…thank God.

Reply Report comment
Mark

Jun 30, 2016 at 2:45 am

Sensible. Anyone with a family has to give these Olympics a miss. Totally corrupt and the average Brazilian is being saddled with debt for years.

Reply Report comment
Bert

Jun 29, 2016 at 3:42 pm

Good decision Jason – many reasons not to go and most of all the health and protection of you and your family is #1.

Reply Report comment
Hue

Jun 29, 2016 at 11:04 am

Zika? Please, it’s one of the two following reasons: 1) payday from their country not nearly as much as a PGA event 2) Violence in Rio. I’m putting my money on the latter.

I wonder what it’s going to be like in Mexico City next year for the PGAtour……

Reply Report comment
Seankinni

Jun 29, 2016 at 10:21 am

Well if anyone would get the Zina virus, it would probably be Jason so I don’t blame him!

Reply Report comment
Jay

Jun 29, 2016 at 8:59 am

Except, you know, this is pretty much what all runners work towards. It’s the biggest stage they compete on. Not even close for golf. Pretty sure most golfers would risk zika and getting mugged at gun point to play Augusta. Brainiac.

Reply Report comment
- Jordan Speeth
  
  Jun 29, 2016 at 8:41 pm
  
  Hmmm, I don’t know. Augusta, GA isn’t exactly the safest place I know of either.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jay
    
    Jul 2, 2016 at 10:25 am
    
    Reading comprehension clearly isn’t a strength for you.
    
    Reply Report comment
louie

Jun 28, 2016 at 9:51 pm

drug testing, they would all fail. That’s why

Reply Report comment
300 Yard Pro

Jun 28, 2016 at 7:10 pm

Most here commenting how dangerous it is, have never been there and know nothing.

Reply Report comment
MRC

Jun 28, 2016 at 4:39 pm

Curious how much money Brazil paid the IOC to host Olympics.
Of all the beautiful countries in the world, why would anyone want to visit Brazil in the first place.

Reply Report comment
- Nellaad
  
  Jun 29, 2016 at 2:06 pm
  
  Brazil is a nice place and Rio is one of the most geographically beautiful place in the world. Just crowded and corrupted like every other place in this world. It just matters to the degree of it. And in Rio it is up there and it is not clever corruption. It is blatant and in your face type corruption.
  
  Reply Report comment
EagleM.

Jun 28, 2016 at 3:27 pm

I love watching olympics. It’s entertaining. It maybe a bit overrated, which makes it even more entertaining. But, it’s a interesting to read some comments (not restricted to here) as if anyone is obligated even ever so slightly to play in olympics for some particular reason.

For some, olympics is honor, nationalism, payday, etc. But, most of us really are just spectators here. For most viewers like us, it’s just a spectacle, entertainment, fun, etc. Personally, I would never encourage anyone to risk anything, especially health or family related, just for sake of other people’s entertainment purpose unless there really is a good reason to justify that risk. Obviously, for some, participating in olympics will justify that reason, but for others it won’t.

It’s just a game. Some will argue it’s a noble game. Nonetheless just a game.

Reply Report comment
rd

Jun 28, 2016 at 3:20 pm

They should strip the golf course down there and let the rainforest grow back

Reply Report comment
- Tom
  
  Jun 29, 2016 at 12:00 am
  
  ummm sure..cause that’s what was there before?
  
  Reply Report comment
ooffa

Jun 28, 2016 at 2:39 pm

Zika is just a convenient excuse for these guys. There’s no payday at the Olympics. That’s reason they are not playing.

Reply Report comment
Kevin

Jun 28, 2016 at 2:39 pm

Zika is a real concern, but Rio is a dangerous mess regardless of the zika virus. Zika allows these people to back out without embarrassing the IOC by having to say they believe their personal safety is at risk just being there.

Reply Report comment
HH

Jun 28, 2016 at 2:11 pm

Ahhh…a convenient reason NOT to have to play in the Olympics for golf.

Reply Report comment
Joshuaplaysgolf

Jun 28, 2016 at 1:37 pm

When in doubt, pull out.

Reply Report comment
dr. abo

Jun 28, 2016 at 12:44 pm

Tiger woods would play with Zika

Reply Report comment
Philip

Jun 28, 2016 at 12:16 pm

Wow – now I know why they are all pulling out – I checked the virus online and didn’t realize there are documented cases where it is highly likely the virus was transmitted from male to female through sex, as well as blood transfusions. Plus, there may not even be symptoms or very little (80% non detection rate). Having hundreds of thousands of individuals from all over the world go into a region currently with this issue is just total irresponsibility from a world wide health concern. Of course, one could always believe the organizers or the news media which always have the concerns of the everyday person as their priority – they even have experts stating that the risk should be able to be reduced to an acceptable level! The question is whether an acceptable level for the city, IOC and certain experts is the same for those who get infected and bring it home with them.

Reply Report comment
steve

Jun 28, 2016 at 12:06 pm

Golf in the Olympics is becoming more and more meaningless

Reply Report comment
- Tom
  
  Jun 29, 2016 at 12:02 am
  
  unfortunately true.
  
  Reply Report comment
EagleM.

Jun 28, 2016 at 11:53 am

Good decision, Jason! Nothing matters more than your family. Period.

Reply Report comment
- Matto
  
  Jun 29, 2016 at 12:03 am
  
  His family was always staying home. It’s a transmittable virus.
  
  Reply Report comment

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