As the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro rapidly approaches, there are still many concerns about the pollution levels in the Guanabara Bay. All of the outdoor water sport events will be held there, and when Rio was chosen six years ago to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the Rio committee promised to clean at least 80 percent of all waste in the bay in time for the games. However, with a little more than a year away, Rio government officials have admitted that this goal may be unattainable.

Dead fish, raw sewage, and trash flood the Guanabara Bay. Thousands of favelas line the coast of the Guanabara, and when it rains, trash and sewage from this downtrodden villages flood into the Olympic venue. Many athletes have already stated their concerns for swimming or boating in the unsafe bay. Masses of dead fish have recently appeared floating down the bay. The exact cause for this is unknown, but despite the murky waters of the Guanabara Bay, it is clear that this hazardous venue could put the health of the word’s most elite athletes at serious risk.