The U.S. Olympic cycling team lost a potential team member due to concerns over the Zika Virus.
Cyclist Tejay van Garderen took himself out of the running for a spot in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Thursday because Zika is becoming more common in Brazil. Van Garderen’s wife is pregnant, and he fears the trip could lead to his child being born with the birth defect microcephaly.
Microcephaly causes abnormal skull growth and brain development, which leads to babies being born with abnormally small heads. The Zika virus is quickly spreading across the western hemisphere via infected mosquitoes.
“If Jessica were not pregnant right now, assuming I was selected, I would go,” Van Garderen explained to Cyclingtips. “But I don’t want to take any chances. If anything were to happen, I couldn’t live with myself.”
The 2016 games have come under scrutiny, with over 150 experts telling the World Health Organization that hosting the games in Rio is unethical due to the high Zika risks.
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