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The Winter Games in Beijing, taking place in the shadow of the coronavirus, evoke not only sports emotions. Competitors taking part in many competitions began to raise the topic of unreliable COVID-19 tests that may exclude them from sports struggles. They also describe the deviating from good standards conditions in Chinese isolation cells.
- Beijing Olympics athletes complain of untrustworthy coronavirus tests that could take them out of the competition
- The enormous stress associated with the threat of competitions, for which they have been preparing for years, can affect their results and even turn the tables upside down
- The conditions in solitary confinement, where Olympic athletes who have tested positive for COVID-19 are compulsorily directed, also raise serious concerns. The coach of Finland’s men’s ice hockey team accused China of not respecting human rights
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Athletes competing at the Beijing Olympics face additional stress that can have a significant impact on their performance. All because of the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty related to the restrictions introduced by the Chinese to prevent the virus from spreading during the competition.
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The Olympians live there in a kind of bubble. They are not allowed to leave the Olympic Village and move freely. Each of them must undergo COVID-19 testing every day. If the result turns out to be positive, the players go to solitary confinement or, when their health condition is severe, to the hospital, which will eliminate many years of preparation for the Games. The problem, however, is that Tests performed one after the other often show different results, which raises concerns among athletes that the system may exclude healthy people from competing.
Not only Natalia Maliszewska. Staying in solitary paralyzes athletes from all over the world
During the Olympic Games in Beijing, the topic of the conditions in solitary confinement to which sports suspects of coronavirus are sent to, as reported by NBC News, also comes to light. According to his reports, the organizers of the games, after receiving a number of complaints, emphasized that support for athletes is a priority for them and engage in talks with both players and their teams about the conditions in solitary confinement.
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Vincent Zhou, an American figure skater who was hoping to win a medal at the Olympics, after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result, was forced to withdraw from individual starts, as he told in a video he published on Instagram:
I am doing everything in my power to stay COVID-19 free. I isolated myself so much that the loneliness I had felt in the last month or two was sometimes crushing.
The fear of the coronavirus also destabilized the women’s hockey match in which the teams of Canada and Our Country faced each other. It was first delayed, and then the players were required to wear protective masks, as the results of the COVID-19 tests of the national team members were not known until the match began. According to the Associated Press reports, cited by NBC News, when the test results were finally presented and it turned out that they were all negative, the women took off their masks (at the beginning of the third period), but were unable to beat their rivals. The Canadians finished the game with masks on and won 6: 1.
The Australian mixed doubles curling team can also speak of an emotionally draining experience. It turned out that she could not compete in the Olympics, because Tahli Gill, who was to take part in the competition, received information about a positive test result. In the end it turned out to be “negative” and the team had to rush a taxi to the Ice Cube to play the game against Switzerland. Ultimately, however, Australia won.
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Natalia Maliszewska, Polish representative in speed skating, also told in a Twitter entry about emotional exhaustion, shed tears and test results, which were once positive, other times negative.. The start of our Olympian in the Olympics was in danger, and even after leaving the isolation room, she slept in clothes, because she was afraid that she would be taken from the hotel again and forcibly transported to the place of isolation.
«I don’t believe in anything anymore. In no tests. No games. This is one big joke for me. I hope that the one who controls it has a lot of fun » — Natalia Maliszewska wrote on Twitter.
Athletes complain about the conditions in solitary confinement
The coach of the Finnish men’s ice hockey team accused China of not respecting the human rights of his player Marko Anttila, who, according to Reuters reports, cited by NBC News, while in solitary confinement, he was fed bad food and had to deal with enormous stress. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian commented on the case, saying that the Beijing Organizing Committee had introduced protocols related to COVID-19 to protect the health of all people involved and that they were endorsed by, inter alia, World Health Organization (WHO).
The International Olympic Committee announced on February 7 that it had held interviews with athletes to discuss conditions in isolated hotels. Kit McConnell, the committee’s sports director, said the key issues raised were issues with mental health, quality of meals, and access to the internet and sports equipment.
Also read:
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- Sweden lifted almost all restrictions and opened its borders. From the beginning, it went against the tide
- The number of infections in the world is falling, but the WHO warns: COVID is not over yet
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