Kenya threatened Tuesday to pull out of this year’s Olympics in Rio, fearing exposure to the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil.

Kipchoge Keino, head of Kenya’s Olympic Committee, said Brazil must show it’s controlled the mosquito-borne virus before his nation sends athletes to games in August.

“Obviously, we are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels,” Keino told Reuters.

“They have to assure us that the country is safe enough to take athletes there.”

Kenya took home two gold, four silver and five bronze medals at the 2012 London. The golds were won in the 800-meter and 3,000-meter races.

Kenyan runners also took silver and bronze medals in the women’s and men’s marathons, respectively.

“We have made it clear that unless they clean the venues of this potentially dangerous disease, we will not go there,” said Keino, a former Olympic great himself who took home track gold medals from the 1968 Mexico City and 1972 Munich games.

“But if they assure us that things are in order and there is no risk to participants, mothers, we will go.”

However, as Keino’s comments generated heat around the world, Kenya’s Olympic Committee came out to say that “it is too early to make a determination on the status of the [Zika] virus” during this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The man leading the Kenyan team to Rio Stephen Soi said that Mr Keino’s comments “may have been quoted out of context.”

He said that the “Rio 2016 Organizing Committee is on top of things, addressing the menace” and is sharing the steps they are taking with relevant parties.

•Based on Reuters and BBC reports. Photo shows Kenya Olympic Committee Chairman, Kipchoge Keino.

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