Seven years ago the Rio de Janeiro government promised to clean up the water before the 2016 Olympics.
Not only did they fail to clean it up -- it has actually gotten worse.
According to the New York Times, recent tests by government and independent scientists have found the city's waters to be full of diarrhea-causing rotaviruses and drug-resistant "super bacteria," among other pathogens.
This is the same water in which Olympians will sail, windsurf and -- yes -- swim starting on Aug. 5.
"Foreign athletes will literally be swimming in human crap, and they risk getting sick from all those microorganisms," local pediatrician Dr. Daniel Becker told the Times. "It's sad, but also worrisome."
The athletes aren't the only ones in danger, as visitors hoping to take a dip at places like famed Ipanema Beach are also at risk.
While acknowledging that the city's water is filthy in many areas, government officials and the International Olympic Committee insist that the places where athletes will compete meet World Health Organization safety standards.
Polluted water is just one of many issues surrounding the Rio Olympics as the opening ceremony nears, but the athletes are taking the water quality seriously.
"It's disgusting," said Nigel Cochrane, a coach for Spain's women's sailing team. "We're very concerned."
So basically, we can imagine a few post-event scenes playing out something like this:
