Aussie Golfer (And World #1) Jason Day Pulls Out Of Olympics Over Zika Fears

Australia’s potential pool of Gold medals at the coming Rio Olympics has decreased by exactly one.

World number one golfer Jason Day has withdrawn from the Rio Olympics, citing fears for his family given the “possible transmission of the Zika virus”.

The 28-year-old Aussie and his wife Ellie, already parents to two children, are planning on extending their family in the future.

“While it has always been a major goal to compete in the Olympics on behalf of my country, playing golf cannot take precedence over the safety of our family,” he said in an announcement to Twitter.

You can read the full statement below:

pic.twitter.com/UNmThs64re

— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) June 28, 2016

The Zika virus is of serious concern to many of the games' attendees, with British long jumper freezing his sperm as a precaution. (Over the weekend, Jamaican sprinter Kemar Bailey-Cole revealed he has already contracted the Zika virus, but will still compete.)

The mosquito-borne virus can be transmitted by men through sexual intercourse, and has been found to lead to birth defects (specifically, microcephaly, where a baby is born with an abnormally small head). In Latin America, close to 1,300 babies have been born with irreversible brain damage as a result, leading the World Health Organisation to call for a change of location for the 2016 Olympic Games.

This summer’s games marks the first time golf has featured in competition since 1904, so Day’s exit is indeed a significant blow. He’s not the only professional golfer sitting out Rio either, with fellow Aussie Marc Leishman also choosing to stay home.

The Games begin - maybe? - in Brazil on August 5.

Photo: Twitter.