Greg Rutherford freezes sperm amid Rio Zika concerns
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 08/06/16 9:19am
Greg Rutherford will have his sperm frozen before heading to Rio de Janeiro to defend his Olympic long jump title.
The Team GB athlete's partner has revealed they took the decision amid fears over the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in babies born in South America.
Organisers insist the risk in Rio will be low, and the World Health Organisation has rejected a call from 152 scientists to move this summer's Games.
But concerns remain among athletes, with golfers Vijay Singh and Marc Leishman among those staying away, and Rutherford is taking the threat seriously.
"The Zika news has caused no end of concern if we're totally honest," Susie Verrill, who has a child with Rutherford, wrote in Standard Issue magazine.
"We're not ones to worry unnecessarily, but after more than 100 medical experts stressed the Games should be moved to prevent the disease from spreading, this was a huge factor in us choosing to stay put.
"We've also made the decision to have Greg's sperm frozen. We'd love to have more children and with research in its infancy, I wouldn't want to put myself in a situation which could have been prevented."
