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Simone Biles is not the only one returning to the 2024 Olympics. COVID-19, the virus behind the pandemic that forced the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to 2021, is re-infecting athletes and affecting athletic performance.
But the impact of COVID appears to have diminished significantly since Tokyo.
The Olympic Games in Paris are proceeding normally, with spectators gathering in the stands and athletes freely as they eat.
But if you look closer, you will see that athletes are slowly wearing masks and that some people’s faces are completely blank at the starting line.
Some athletes participate, others withdraw
More than a dozen athletes in Paris have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, including British swimmer Adam Peaty, who tested positive on Sunday night after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke, the Guardian reported Tuesday.
Another swimmer, Australian Lani Pallister, withdrew from the 1500m freestyle on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID.
Because athletes who test positive are still allowed to compete in Paris, it was decided that Pallister would rest and prepare for the 4x200m freestyle, the Australian Olympic Committee said. That decision paid off when the team won gold in the event on Thursday.
But another athlete’s dream of competing in the 2024 Olympics was completely crushed.
German decathlete Manuel Eitel made a statement about it Instagram about withdrawing from the Olympic Games in Paris due to a COVID infection.
“Today is and remains one of the worst days of my life,” he wrote in a message in German.
“Few people know how many times I fought and how hard I worked to earn these games.”
Rules and protocols in Paris
There are limited protocols and restrictions in place at the Olympic Games, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
“We have a protocol [that] “Any athlete who has tested positive must wear a mask and we remind everyone to follow best practices,” said Anne Descamps, head of communications for Paris 2024.
In addition to these protocols, individual athletes and their countries must make their own decisions about preventing and managing the virus.
Which variant of the coronavirus is currently causing the most infections in Canada and what are the symptoms?
Some countries have taken COVID prevention into their own hands.
Team Great Britain has been seen wearing masks between events, and Canada has continued to implement pandemic-era protocols including hand washing and sanitizing, Reuters reported. Canada’s Chief Medical Officer Mike Wilkinson said they also have isolation protocols in place for anyone who becomes sick.
For athletes who test positive, it can be a complicated decision whether or not to participate, said Dr. Alexandra Rendely, a staff physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute at University Health Network (UHN).
“It is up to the individual participants and their medical staff to determine whether the symptoms they have are sufficient to allow them to participate, both at the highest level and from a safety perspective,” she said.
Rendely gave the example of a swimmer, where shortness of breath or coughing, both symptoms of COVID, can change an athlete’s breathing patterns. She also noted that these symptoms, along with muscle aches and fever, can change the speed at which athletes use their arms and legs.
Tokyo’s strict approach
The previous games were completely different from the status quo.
After the Tokyo Games were postponed for a year due to the pandemic, strict rules Spectators were barred from the competition and athletes who tested positive were required to immediately self-isolate and not allowed to compete.
Wearing face masks, social distancing and regular testing were also mandatory.
Some members of the Canadian Olympic delegation were placed under COVID-19 protocols upon arrival in Beijing. These protocols are strict — Chinese officials hope to keep COVID-19 out of the Olympics just days before they begin.
“There’s a reason COVID is less on our radar than it was two or three years ago,” said Dr. Alon Vaisman, an infectious disease and infection control physician at UHN.
According to Vaisman, both the virus and our knowledge about how to treat it have changed.
While some athletes may be able to perform physically while infected with COVID, the question remains: is that the intention?
Many Olympic events involve close contact with other people, meaning there is an increased risk of transmission between athletes. Vaisman says athletes should not compete in events while experiencing symptoms such as a cough or runny nose.
“It’s more of a moral responsibility than anything,” he said.
