China's alleged zero tolerance for COVID during this year's Olympic Games have athletes frustrated and tired over the government's treatment of foreign visitors. Those who have been thrown into isolation as to not spread COVID, which originated in China's very own Wuhan almost three years ago, have decried the conditions in the quarantine facilities.
According to the Daily Mail, Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova claimed she was given the same inedible meal three times a day for five consecutive days while in isolation, leaving her completely emaciated with her "bones sticking out." Olympic athletes require a balanced diet to maintain their muscle mass and support their sporting abilities. But this is totally being overlooked by the Chinese authorities running the Olympic quarantine facilities.
Polish speed skater Natalia Maliszewska lamented how she was repeatedly moved in and out of quarantine facilities because of conflicting COVID test results. Describing a "night of horror," the 26 year old athlete said officials dragged her out of bed at 3 in the morning to escort her back to the athlete's village after saying she was COVID-free. Later on, they once took her again to the quarantine facility because they allegedly made a mistake.
"I was sitting in the ambulance. It was 3 a.m. I was crying like crazy because I didn't know what was going on. I did not feel safe at all," Maliszewska shared.
The Western Journal reported that Belgian skeleton athlete Kim Meylemans suffered the same experience as Maliszewska, as she was also told she could leave the isolation facility only to be taken back to quarantine again. Aside from strict quarantine rules, athletes say that the restrictions are also unclear.
Up to 387 individuals participating in the Olympic Games in various capacities have been isolated in China. This includes Vincent Zhou, an American figure skater who tested positive on Monday, and Austrian snowboarder Sabine Schöffmann.
Finland men's hockey head coach Jukka Jalonen recounted to Yahoo! Sports that one of the team members, Marko Anttila was kept in solation on Sunday despite there having been 18 days since his positive COVID test.
"We know that he's fully healthy and ready to go and that's why we think that China, for some reason, they won't respect his human rights, and that's not a great situation," Jalonen reported. He added that Anttila was "not getting food" while in isolation and that their treatment of the athlete was causing significant mental stress for him.
The International Olympic Committee has acknowledged the athletes' concerns, but appears to be doing little to actually address them. IOC Sport Director Kit McConnell said on Monday that the isolation of the Olympic athletes were top priority and that they already held a call with Olympic officials to understand the challenges athletes faced while in isolation.
"The athletes in isolation remain an absolute focus. There is a collective responsibility to support these athletes," McConnell claimed during a news conference. "That's not easy for anyone in that situation. We absolutely understand. There are still some individual circumstances which are challenging."
