Well Stephen, I was listening to the CBC in May and in particular, a panelist discussing a paper that he published in the Harvard Public Health Review. He spoke at length about the importance of postponing the Olympic Games to allow the WHO, the CDC and other public health agencies to get a better grip on the situation and to better contain it.

Zika can now be spread through bodily fluids (similarly to hepatitis) and has now been linked to Guillaume Barre disease too. Zika virus can live on in males without any outward symptoms as well. See the CDC information on the disease.

It's tough for Golf because this is the first year back in the Olympics and what should have been a cause for celebration has been dampened because of poor planning and organization by golf's international community, poor format(s) for the sport in Rio, and of course concerns around not only health (Zika) but security in general with inadequate police protection and increasing violent crimes in Rio de Janeiro itself.

Regardless, I am hopeful that the game remains in the Olympics beyond the Tokyo games, but baseball is sitting on the sidelines hoping to get back into the Olympics after Tokyo in 2020. After all, Golf took baseball's spot so it is important that golf gets its act together if it wishes to stay in the Games.

A tough call for sure. I can understand the reasons for not going, but this is a once every 4 years event. I would think most of the "lower" profile players would be going. I have known a few people that were Olympic athletes (both summer & winter) and they said their event was almost secondary to the experience and fun of being there.

Good post Dino... I am sure we all have opinions on this topic and it is unfortunate that the circumstances have created such a dither.
Personally - I feel for the players that they have been put in such a position, and I fully support all of those who have made the difficult decision to withdraw either for concerns over Zika or for other personal reasons. I do not believe that any of them made the decision easily and have given the situation a huge amount of thought before reaching their final position.
I have always been one of those who firmly believe that the Olympics should be strictly for amateurs but that is another story completely. The issue at Rio goes beyond the virus. I feel for the athletes who will be competing on the water events. I have heard that many of them have been fitted for full body suits that are treated to help prevent infections from the heavily polluted bay.
I wish all the athletes nothing but the best in their pursuit of a medal, and am disappointed that IOC put them in a position where they have to be so concerned about their health and safety. Surely there were better places they could have selected for such a huge global event.
What kind of legacy will this Olympic event have if any number of athletes go home sick because of the variety of issues surrounding this event ?

I understand totally the reasons behind the withdrawals. With all the disorganization, crime and zika, to me it's not worth a chance. Heck I wouldn't even go as a spectator. I'm almost hoping that our Canadian players cancel their plans as I don't want to see anything happen to them. If they do stay the course though I hope they come home victorious....and safe.