The virus, which is carried by mosquitoes and has been linked with microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with small heads and underdeveloped brains, remains a concern in parts of the Americas.

It was one of the main fears leading up to Rio 2016, with a host of top male golfers and tennis players opting to withdraw from the Games as a result, despite insistence from organisers and local officials that it would not be a problem.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed after the conclusion of the Olympics that there were no cases of Zika recorded among anyone associated with the Games. 

Rentokil, who began their role in May 2016, have now spoken publicly for the first time about the methods they employed to tackle the virus.

The British-based company, established in 1925, said they used a new non-chemical treatment of ultrasonic pulses to destroy mosquito larvae in open water, according to The Telegraph. 

It is claimed this helped reduce the amount of larvae by 90 per cent.

Rentokil also used a programme which utilised specially-placed traps to warn of the presence of mosquitoes.

Preventative pest control measures and traditional insecticide was used at venues across the Games, including the Athletes' Village and the main Media Villages.

The WHO had rejected a call for the Games to be moved or postponed due to the Zika outbreak, saying it would "not significantly alter" the spread of the virus, prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremony on August 5.

It followed 150 leading international scientists, doctors and medical experts claiming the previous May that the disease made it "unethical" for Rio 2016 to go ahead as planned.

Prior to the Games, a study from Yale University predicted that only between three and 37 people would be infected with Zika when visiting Brazil for the Olympics.

A total of 20 male players pulled out from the men's Olympic golf tournament, which was won by Britain’s Justin Rose, while South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace was the sole athlete to pull out of the women’s event.

This included the top four ranked men’s golfers in the world at the time - Jason Day of Australia, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth of the United States and Ireland's Rory McIlroy.

Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, world number eight Tomas Berdych and women's number five Simona Halep were among several tennis players to withdraw because of Zika.

American cyclist Tejay Van Garderen also withdrew over the concerns, although the athletes were accused of using Zika as an excuse for not attending.