The golfer Rory McIlroy said on Wednesday that he would skip the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro because of concerns about the Zika virus, becoming the highest-profile athlete yet to withdraw over the health scare.
“After speaking with those closest to me, I’ve come to realize that my health, and my family’s health, comes before anything else,” McIlroy, 27, said in a statement. “Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take.”