We wonder if other people going to the 2016 Olympics will follow suit.
This is a very smart idea and we thank Coach Speraw for being open about it.
According to this article by The New York Times, the head coach of Team USA’s men’s volleyball team is freezing his sperm as a safety measure against the Zika Virus.
“My wife and I would like to have another kid. And I’m no spring chicken. I don’t want to get Zika and have to wait an additional year, or whatever it may be, for us to have kids. I’m paying attention to Zika, and I’m concerned about it. It’s not going to stop me from going down there, but I’m taking measures right now.”
The said article states that only Coach Speraw’s parents will be going to Rio. His wife and 7 month old daughter are staying home.
3 time Olympic champion Kerri Walsh-Jennings is not scared of the virus at all. The mother of 3 – whose kids are not going to Rio because there is nothing much to do – played in Brazil last March.
“I took my essential oils, I’m going to bring my Honest bug repellent, and I escaped all mosquito bites until the very last day. I came home, and I didn’t get Zika.”
Her beach partner April Ross feels the same but her pregnant agent will not be going.
“You’ve got to be smart about it and take all the precautions you can, which we will. I plan on getting tested when we get back before we start trying to have a baby. If we have to wait, we’re going to wait. In my mind, there’s no point in necessarily worrying about it if there’s nothing you can really do. Take the precautions you can, and forget about it.”
Indoor player Murphy Troy says that if he makes it to the Olympic Team, his brother and pregnant sister-in-law will stay home to cheer for him.
The article also mentions no USA Volleyball athlete who is playing for an Olympic spot plans NOT to play in the biggest sports event of the year.
Click here to read the full article.
IMAGES: FIVB