In Tokyo, it was like, Oh my God, dont breathe on me.
So we totally get the desire to avoid thatits just that, unfortunately, COVID hasnt gotten the memo.
The strict rules of Tokyo and Beijing didnt exactly make it to Paris.
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Strict, yes, but also effective.
Fast forward two years later.
Its still dangerous, linked to heart problems and lung damage, and the threat oflong COVIDis real too.
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But you cant just wish away COVIDsomething other sporting events have been forced to acknowledge.
While the Games started just a couple weeks later (and in the same country!
Dig a little deeper, though, and its a different story.
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COVID cases started popping up before the Games even beganand havent eased since.
Three days before the Games officially kicked off, an Australian water polo player tested positive for COVID-19.
I need to emphasize that we are treating COVID no differently to other bugs like the flu.
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This is not Tokyo, Anna Meares, the Australian Olympic Teams Chef-de-Mission, said, according toOlympics.com.
The athlete is not particularly unwell, and they are still training, but sleeping in a single room.
One day later, the numbergrewto five.
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On July 30, Australias Lani Pallister withdrew from her 1500-meter freestyle heat after testing positive for COVID.
That same day, SwimSwamreportedthat two American swimmers tested positive too.Maltese swimmer Sasha GattandRomanias Vlad Stancucame next.
According to apress briefingby the United Nations on August 6, more than 40 Olympic athletes have tested positive.
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Definitely not ideal for one of the biggest performances of your life.
What I feel right now exceeds any defeat Ive ever experienced in sports.
Im absolutely stunned, completely lost and do not understand the world anymore.
How many times Ive fought, how hard Ive worked to earn these games, few people know.
I dont know how to move on, my heart hurts and I cant think straight yet.
How long this will take to heal, no idea.
I feel incredibly sorry for everyone who worked on this dream for years.
I would have loved to make you so proud!
I wish the German track and field team maximum success and especially my decathlon boys.
How I would have fought this fight with you!
He ended up finishing thirdand getting removed from the track via wheelchair just minutes after the race concluded.
I just was feeling really horrible, he said.
I knew it was more than just being sore from the 100.
Still, he said he never thought ofnotcompeting in the 200-meter final.
He isnt sure yet whether hell run in the mens 4x100 relay on August 9.
We were trying to keep this as close to the chest as possible, he said after the final.
You never want to tell your competitors youre sick; why would you give them an edge over you?
Some athletes are taking their own precautionsbut it shouldnt be left only up to them.
On July 31, SELF reached out to Paris organizers about the COVID situation.
Each National Olympic Committee is also free to put in place additional measures for its athletes.
hey contact them for more information.
The spokesperson wrote, We are carefully monitoring the health situation in close coordination with the Ministry of Health.
Hand sanitizer stations can be found at all the residential areas and also the restaurant of the Olympic Village.
Finally, we asked if there were any policies regarding masking for spectators.
The spokesperson wrote, Paris 2024 monitors the situation with Sante Publique France and the Ministry of Health.
Masks are not mandatory.
Its unfortunate that at these normal Games, the onus for self-protection is falling heavily on the individual.
TheAustralian Olympic teamwore masks throughout the airport when they traveled to Paris.
And this didnt have to look like the impenetrable bubble from the Tokyo and Beijing days.
The world is different now, and we know that those strict rules would be a pretty hard sell.
But theres a big difference between a bubble and basically nothing.
There could have been a happy middle ground that offered athletes more protectionandthe experience they want and deserve.
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