Brazilian crowds taunt more US athletes with chants of 'Zika!' during tense beach volleyball match

  • Volleyball players Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat were taunted 
  • Crowd at Copacabana's Beach jeered each time one of the duo served
  • It follows US women's soccer goalie Hope Solo also being booed
  • 'Brazilian fans have no manners,' says a prominent Brazilian sportswriter
  • 'You will not find any respect for rivals or any of the Olympic spirit,' he said

American volleyball players Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat have been loudly booed and taunted with chants of 'Zika!' during an Olympic pool match in Rio on Sunday.

Each time one of the duo served, the raucous crowd at Copacabana's Beach Volleyball Arena cruelly attempted to put them off.

Their treatment follows US women's soccer goalie Hope Solo also being roundly booed in a pool match against France on Saturday night because of her comments about the mosquito spread virus.

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Lauren Fendrick (left) and Brooke Sweat (right) of the United States were booed during the Women's Beach Volleyball on August 7

Lauren Fendrick (left) and Brooke Sweat (right) of the United States were booed during the Women's Beach Volleyball on August 7

Crowds in Rio have reportedly been treating the Olympics more like a rowdy soccer match

Crowds in Rio have reportedly been treating the Olympics more like a rowdy soccer match

Each time Fendrick (pictured) or Swear served the raucous crowd at Copacabana's Beach shouted 'Zika!'

Each time Fendrick (pictured) or Swear served the raucous crowd at Copacabana's Beach shouted 'Zika!'

Thousands of Brazilians mocked Solo with 'Zika' chants during the game against New Zealand at Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte.

They taunted her as she walked into the field and every time she went into play. 'Olê, Olê, Olê, Olá — Zika! Zika!' they chanted.

The jeers appeared to be in response to recent photos she shared on social media showing a heavy arsenal of repellent and an anti-mosquito hat.

The accomplished goalkeeper didn't take any chances when it comes to the virus that is rife in Brazil, which is spread by a specific kind of mosquito and can cause birth defects in babies if transferred by pregnant mothers.

United States' Lauren Fendrick (right) hits over Poland's Kinga Kolosinska during the match

United States' Lauren Fendrick (right) hits over Poland's Kinga Kolosinska during the match

The US pair lost their game to Poland's Monika Brzostek (pictured) and Kinga Kolosinska

The US pair lost their game to Poland's Monika Brzostek (pictured) and Kinga Kolosinska

Solo, 34, posted a picture of a massive amount of repellent and wrote: 'If anyone in the village forgot to pack repellent, come and see me… #DeptofDefense #zikaproof.'

She also shared a selfie wearing a bandanna over he face as well as her anti-mosquito bonnet - holding a massive bottle of bug repellent too.

She captioned the picture: 'Not sharing this!!!' Get your own!'

Her pictures sparked controversy in Brazil. The Brazilian women's soccer team coach, Vadão, said: 'Just like they come prepared, we also prepare ourselves.

'I myself put on repellent,' he said, according to Brazilian news site GloboEsporte.com. 'Just how she says [to protect herself], when we go to the United States we have to go with bullet-proof vests because there they shoot in the streets. To each their own.' 

Lauren Fendrick tried not to let the Zika chants distract her during the match on Sunday
Fendrick refused to be distracted

Lauren Fendrick tried not to let the Zika chants distract her during the match on Sunday

The US team lost following two sets 13-21 and 7-15 after starting out strong 

The US team lost following two sets 13-21 and 7-15 after starting out strong 

However, neither Sweat nor Fendrick is known for expressing alarm over playing under the threat of the virus.

In fact, in an interview with a US channel last week, Fendrick called the water quality in Brazil and Zika 'non-factors' for the duo.

But with some high profile US competitors having withdrawn from the Games citing their concerns over Zika, other US athletes also appear to have become targets for vocal criticism.

In the match, Fendrick and Sweat started strong against Poland's Monika Brzostek and Kinga Kolosinska, winning the first set 21-14, before falling apart and losing the following two sets 13-21 and 7-15. 

In February, the US Olympic Committee told US sports federations that athletes and staff concerned for their health over Zika should consider not going to the Games.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo was booed
Goalkeeper Hope Solo was heavily booed by Brazilians during Team USA's opening soccer match in the Rio Olympics, pictured

Goalkeeper Hope Solo (left) was heavily booed by Brazilians (right) during Team USA's opening soccer match in the Rio Olympics

Hope Solo was booed with 'Zika' chants every time she went into play during the match against New Zealand (pictured), which Team USA won 2-0

Hope Solo was booed with 'Zika' chants every time she went into play during the match against New Zealand (pictured), which Team USA won 2-0

American golfer Dustin Johnson is among several top-ranked men in the sport who dropped out over Zika fears.

In June, American cyclist Tejay Van Garderen withdrew his name from consideration for the US team, also citing concern over the virus.

Global health officials are racing to better understand the virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas. 

But it's not just Americans who are receiving unwelcoming chants at the Games, many Olympic athletes and visitors might be forgiven if they feel like they accidentally stepped into one of Brazil's notoriously raucous soccer arenas, where insults, boos and outright hostility toward rival teams are common. 

Solo shared this post on social media showing her bug repellent, sparking controversy among Brazilians

Solo shared this post on social media showing her bug repellent, sparking controversy among Brazilians

Solo shared off the massive amount of insect repellent she was taking with her Rio, adding: 'If anyone in the village forgets to pack repellent, come and see me'

Solo shared off the massive amount of insect repellent she was taking with her Rio, adding: 'If anyone in the village forgets to pack repellent, come and see me'

Early on Sunday, as Brazilian fencer Ghislain Perrier, parried lunges by Ma Jianfei, the local crowd jeered the Chinese rival, even though he won. 

At Rio tennis, a far cry from the practiced seriousness of tournaments like Wimbledon, Brazilian fans mocked Germany's Dustin Brown, ranked 86 in the world, when he missed an easy shot.

'Brazilian fans have no manners,' says Juca Kfouri, a prominent Brazilian sportswriter and commentator. 'You will not find any respect for rivals or any of the Olympic spirit you might have had in London.'

Brazil's sporting culture, largely defined by the country's past success in soccer, is dominated by an often jingoistic attitude toward anyone not donning the local yellow.

'People seem to think it's a soccer match,' says Guilherme Toldo, a Brazilian fencer who on Sunday was surprised by local booing, air horns and stomping directed at foreign rivals in what is traditionally a more sombre sport.

The US goalkeeper has been vocal about her concerns about Zika, saying in February that she wouldn't go of she had to decide there and then

The US goalkeeper has been vocal about her concerns about Zika, saying in February that she wouldn't go of she had to decide there and then

At an event like the Olympics, where ticketholders hail mostly from an upper-middle and wealthy class that is used to being pampered, the chest-thumping can be especially jarring, even to many local fans.

'That was not elegant,' said Thiago Pereira, a Brazilian who cringed as some compatriots booed when arch-rival Argentina's athletes paraded during the opening ceremony on Friday. 

So rude can Brazil fans be that two years ago, at the inaugural game of the soccer World Cup in São Paulo, a largely upper-class crowd chanted for Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's first female president and one of many dignitaries in attendance, to 'go to take it in the (expletive).'

Athletes say the hostility can affect results.

'I am very disappointed,' said Hassan N'Dam N'jikam, a Cameroonian fighter who was loudly booed and lost to a local on Saturday even though most boxing writers and foreigners in the audience thought he outpunched his Brazilian opponent.

The noise, he said, 'plays into the judgement.'

For Brazilian athletes, or course, the climate can help.

'When you play in Europe, the people are more calm,' said Thomaz Bellucci, the Brazilian tennis player who progressed after Brown, the German, twisted an ankle in their match. 'In Brazil, people go crazy and it's very nice.'

 

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