Rio beach body parts that washed up near the 2016 Olympics volleyball site a little more than a month before the games start have sparked more concern about the safety of athletes, according to
Reuters.
The discovery of mutilated human remains at Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on Wednesday added to worries about rising crime, political instability, and the Zika virus.
CNN said a beach goer found a dismembered foot and another body part that were believed to be from a woman or young adult.
Reuters said it wasn't clear where the body parts came from. Authorities didn't respond to requests seeking more information.
The Associated Press said police have been involved in series of gun battles for more than a week in the Rio slums as they attempted to recapture a drug trafficker who escaped from police custody at a Brazilian hospital.
The shootings killed 10 people. About 50 schools have been closed closed because of the violence and police searches.
The acting governor has warned the sporting event could be a "big failure" because the state of Rio de Janeiro is out of money, said CNN.
"I am optimistic about the games, but I have to show the reality," said Francisco Dornelles. "We can make a great Olympics, but if some steps are not taken, it can be a big failure."
Reuters said Rio was still trying to finish a new subway line and other infrastructure improvements promised for the games. The state has also missed an important debt payment and delayed paying salaries to a range of workers, including police.
President Dilma Rousseff was stripped of her duties in May and Brazil's senate voted to move forward with an impeachment trial that won't conclude until after the Olympics, noted
The Guardian. She is being tried for allegedly manipulating government accounts ahead of the previous election.
The world's No. 1 golfer, Jason Day, announced this week he would not participate in the Olympics for fear of contracting the Zika virus, according to CNN. Zika has been linked to microcephaly in newborn babies and some cases of the muscle-weakening disease Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults.
"The reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it might present to my wife's future pregnancies and to future members of our family," Day said on Twitter.
PGA golfers Vijay Singh and Marc Leishman both cited Zika as a reason for skipping the Rio Olympics. So did former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, whose wife is pregnant,
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