American goalkeeper Hope Solo not bothered by Zika taunts during Olympic soccer opener
Crowd of 10,000 didn't faze player, as U.S. defeats New Zealand
Hope Solo says she was not bothered by fans who chanted "Zika, Zika" at her as the U.S. women's soccer team defeated New Zealand in its Olympic debut on Wednesday.
The crowd of nearly 10,000 fans at the 60,000-capacity Mineirao Stadium jeered the goalkeeper with the reference to the virus that has scared many athletes ahead of the Rio Games.
"I'm glad the fans had fun," Solo said. "And if they had fun at my expense, more power to them."
Solo upset some Brazilians before coming to the Olympics by tweeting a photo of herself wearing a hat with mosquito netting. She also posted a photo of dozens of packs of mosquito repellent that she was packing for her trip to Brazil.
Not sharing this!!! Get your own! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/zikaproof?src=hash">#zikaproof</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToRio?src=hash">#RoadToRio</a> <a href="https://t.co/y3d8hnuEjk">pic.twitter.com/y3d8hnuEjk</a>
—@hopesoloThe veteran goalkeeper said she didn't realize during the game that the fans were chanting "Zika," and thought they were only yelling a homophobic slur that local clubs sometimes use against goalkeepers at goal kicks.
Some of the fans were indeed yelling the homophobic slur early in the game, but later the majority of the crowd started with the "Zika" chant, which was also repeated after the final whistle.
"I think that's something hopefully they will put behind them and realize that Hope has apologized to the Brazilian people," US coach Jill Ellis said of the fans. "Sometimes mistakes are made. We are used to getting booed in other countries, so that part of it is not foreign. I hope the Brazilian people appreciate what we are trying to do with the ball and move past that."
The Associated Press