Kenya threatened Tuesday to pull out of this year’s Olympics in Rio, fearing exposure to the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil.
Kipchoge Keino, head of Kenya’s Olympic committee, said Brazil must show it’s controlled the mosquito-borne virus before his nation sends athletes to the games in August.
“Obviously, we are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels,” Keino told Reuters.
“They have to assure us that the country is safe enough to take athletes there.”
Kenya took home two gold, four silver and five bronze medals at the 2012 London games. The golds were won in the 800-meter and 3,000-meter races.
Kenyan runners also took silver and bronze medals in the women’s and men’s marathons, respectively.
“We have made it clear that unless they clean the venues of this potentially dangerous disease, we will not go there,” said Keino, a former Olympic great himself who took home track gold medals from the 1968 Mexico City and 1972 Munich games.
“But if they assure us that things are in order and there is no risk to participants, mothers, we will go.”
American Olympic officials said they’ve been in contact with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are monitoring the outbreak.
The USOC has stopped short of threatening a pullout from Rio.
“Team USA looks forward to the Games and we did not, would not and will not prevent athletes from competing for their country should they qualify,” USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said Monday.