Sailing: Tuke dilutes Rio water worries

Kerikeri sailor Blair Tuke (foreground) and Peter Burling have gold on their minds ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics. Photo/ File

Kerikeri sailor Blair Tuke has weathered some unpleasant conditions in his career.

However, the 26-year-old men's 49er double world champion believes objectionable water-quality conditions in Rio de Janeiro can improve ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Amidst damning reports of poor water-quality and high fecal counts at the Rio 2016 sailing venue, Guanabara Bay, Tuke said the lure of a gold medal was enough to dilute any off-water drama.

"It's certainly not the same as sailing in the Bay of Islands or other places in New Zealand but it's not quite as bad as all the hype," Tuke said.

"I mean, yeah it's not ideal but for us, we sort of put up with it really and try to concentrate on performing. At the end of the day there's going to be racing next year and there's going to be gold medals handed out, that's all we look towards really."

Touching down in Brazil last week, New Zealand's sailing team are in Rio ahead of the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (the Rio 2016 test event) which runs August 13-22.

Spending the past two weeks acclimatising to the conditions, Tuke noted the beauty of Rio outshone the concerns over water quality.

"Sure there's stuff in the water, there's plastic bags and different debris and branches and whatnot, but wherever we race in the world we get that. Geographically Rio's quite beautiful, there's Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer around where we race on Guanabara Bay.

"We get used to taking stuff off our foils, it's certainly not ideal but it's just part of racing here in Rio. Hopefully they can clean up the bay, not just for next year's Olympics but for the people going forward - that's what the Olympics is about, leaving a legacy."