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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Theres a contradictory mission for rowers competing in this years Summer Olympics. Get into your boat, work your hardest -- but try to avoid the water.And definitely dont swallow it.On Saturday at the polluted Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon -- the venue for Olympic rowing -- rowers bleached the handles of oars. They swished with anti-bacterial mouthwash, kept water bottles in plastic bags, and took precautions to avoid coming down with diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms that could compromise years of training and a chance at gold.To the naked eye, the lagoons polluted water seemed clearer than usual on Saturday, likely the result of bioremediation to clean up the sewage-filled area.Despite the immaculate appearance, a 16-month long independent analysis by The Associated Press has shown the rowing venue -- and other water venues used by 1,400 athletes in the Olympics -- is teeming with dangerous viruses from human sewage that could cause athletes to become ill.Rio treats only about half of its sewage, dumping the rest into the waters surrounding the metropolitan area of 12 million. Despite promises the water would be clean by the opening of the games, the APs tests confirmed widespread contamination.The pollution has set up a quandary for the athletes. Competitors in a water sport must essentially avoid the water.Some have been training off and on for months in Rio, hoping to build up immunity. Others decided to come in quickly and take their chances.Canadian rower Carling Zeeman rushed to the dock to prepare for her heat, and instead of racing strategy from her coach, she got something else.I was greeted by a bottle of hand sanitizer, she said.Officials did their best to put a positive front on the problem. The water, while polluted, does often look clean. Drier winter weather in Rio recently has also helped because there has been no torrential rain to flush human waste from the hillside slums that surround the city into the lagoon.The water looked so pristine that Matt Smith, the executive director of World Rowing -- the world governing body other the sport -- made a bold claim.Its nearly drinking water, Smith told reporters. Its swimming quality. Its really good.Smith, who heads the Switzerland-based body, said the lagoon provided excellent water quality, which would shock Rio natives who live around the lagoon situated under the soaring Christ the Redeemer statue.They are accustomed to smelling the stench, seeing fish die off, and few swim in a body of water that looks postcard-perfect from a distance but not so good up close.Smith is relying on water-quality studies done by the state of Rio de Janeiro, which measure only bacteria levels. The studies have shown bacterial pollution levels regarded as safe by the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee.The WHO and the state do not test for viruses, a more expensive and advanced test.Many athletes complained more on Saturday about conditions they could see -- in this case high winds and choppy water -- and less about viruses and bacteria they couldnt.Still, avoiding the water is an impossible task.We try to avoid contact with the water as much as possible, Australian rower Kim Brennan said, also detailing a day of white caps and spray on the wide, exposed lagoon. Obviously, we were pretty much swimming in it today, so well find out soon enough whats in there.Brennan, an Olympic bronze and silver medalist in London, said her team was taking extra precautions and trying to prioritize our hygiene.We try to avoid any hand-to-mouth contact and try to avoid getting any of the water in our mouths, Brennan said.Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand was optimistic and said it was a lot better than anyone expected it to be. But he said he wasnt a scientist -- and still had a plan to combat the water.Were just making sure we dont put our hands in our mouth after touching the water, he said. And we make sure that anything we eat and drink has been protected from the water.But even on calm days, rowers get wet from spray and splash. And there are risks when the water gets rough.A Serbian pair in sculls learned that the hard way when they tipped over, breaking the cardinal rule of avoiding contact. 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PETERSBURG, Fla.CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Heavy hitters in Nevadas casino industry are going to bat for a project backed by one of their competitors, saying a proposed NFL stadium and a convention center expansion in Las Vegas are game-changing opportunities that Nevada lawmakers shouldnt pass up.Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren and Caesars Entertainment Executive Vice President Jan Jones Blackhurst gave speeches Monday to Nevada lawmakers who are meeting in a special session to vet public financing for a stadium thats backed by Las Vegas Sands casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. The venue could house the Raiders.This is an absolute dead-bang, winning opportunity, and I hope you will find it in your wisdom to approve it shortly, Wynn told lawmakers, saying professional sports would be a cornerstone to the stability of Nevada tourism. I personally believe that if we lose this opportunity, it will be one of the most heartbreaking mistakes weve ever made.Blackhurst, the former mayor of Las Vegas, said the projects will take the tourism mecca to the next level.Weve been offered a gift here, she said. Weve been offered a gift that takes us from 45 million visitors, to 55, to 65 million visitors.Murren fought back against the idea that his company, the largest employer in the state and a major player in the convention industry, would be threatened by the improvements.You might come to the conclusion that MGM would be opposed to both of the projects before you. In fact, the exact opposite is true, he said. We know the entire community benefits when our convention center is full.The testimonials are likely to add credibility and political cover to the stadium proposal, which has attracted criticism from the powerful Culinary Union and some progressive and faith-based groups who say any tax increases should first go to Nevadas bottom-ranking public school system. Adelson, one of the richest men in the world, wants to put $650 million of his own money toward a $1.9 billion venue and is asking for $750 million in public hotel tax revenue.Legislative leaders say theres still wwork to do to round up the votes needed to approve the deal.dddddddddddd Some lawmakers say theyre fundamentally opposed to it.Regardless of what is said here, my mind is already made up, said Democratic state Sen. Ruben Kihuen, a vocal opponent of the financing plan who is also running in an competitive race for a U.S. House seat. Regardless of how you put it its still a $750 million taxpayer handout.President George Markantonis of The Venetian casino, which is part of the Sands company, defended the public-private partnership arrangement because it will benefit both public and private sectors and be run by a public board.Lets keep in mind the Adelson family is making this very significant and immensely generous investment into a stadium they wont own for a team they dont own, he said.Lawmakers have been vetting the particulars of the arrangement, which some outside economists say is a bad deal based on overly optimistic predictions about how many new events and tourists the proposed domed stadium would attract.Steve Hill of the Nevada Governors Office of Economic Development said the projections passed scrutiny from Las Vegas casino executives, who are more familiar with the citys tourism landscape than outside economists and are some of the business worlds brightest minds.Two-thirds of each Republican-controlled chamber of the legislature must approve any tax increase. The proposed deal would increase the hotel tax on the Las Vegas Strip by 0.88 percentage points for the stadium and 0.5 percentage points for the convention center. Tourists pay a 12 percent hotel room tax. They would pay about $1.50 more per night on the average nightly Strip hotel bill if both proposals pass.NFL owners would have to vote by a three-fourths majority to allow the Raiders to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he prefers to keep the team in the Bay Area, while the teams owner, Mark Davis, said hes serious about moving the team. ' ' '