Rio will be safest place in world for athletes - USOC

A giant banner advertising the 2016 Rio Olympics is pictured behind a statue outside a tunnel which connects Botafogo and Copacabana neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 28, 2016.REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - Even as gun battles rage in Rio de Janeiro slums, mutilated bodies wash up on beaches and police and fireman protest, the USOC on Thursday declared the 2016 Olympics will be the safest place in the world for athletes once the Games begin.

Following their final board meeting before the Olympics open on Aug. 5, United States Olympic Committee (USOC) leaders Scott Blackmun and Larry Probst downplayed the security risks and Zika threat that have plagued the run-up to the first Summer Games in South America.