International athletes set to compete in an Olympic diving test event in Rio de Janeiro next week have asked about risks linked to the Zika virus, but have not canceled participation because of the outbreak, one of the organizers said on Friday, Reuters reported. "They are concerned and are being given advice on how to proceed," Cassius Duran, a former Brazilian diver, told reporters at the inauguration of the remodeled Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, where the Olympic diving will be held in August. Duran said organizers were telling athletes to use repellents to protect themselves against mosquito bites, the primary means of transmission of the virus. The test event, which runs from Feb. 19 to 24, is a stage of the Diving World Cup and 270 athletes from 50 countries are due to compete. Athletes and visitors planning to come to the Olympics have expressed concern about Zika, a virus linked to birth defects in newborns, which has been reported in more than 30 countries, according to the World Health Organization.
