The organizers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics responded to the criticism they have received in recent days, for the poor isolation conditions for athletes who test positive for COVID-19, and ensure that they are trying to ensure that athletes have cleaner rooms, better food, and access to workout equipment and the Internet.
“These are exactly the kinds of things we need to address.
It is a duty, it is a responsibility and we have to make sure that expectations are met,” said Christophe Dubi, executive director of the International Olympic Committee games, in statements collected by the AP agency.
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In recent days, athletes from various delegations who had the misfortune to catch the virus complained about the poor conditions in which they have had to spend their isolation, from insufficient or poor quality food, to dirty rooms to lack of clear information about the isolation period.
“My stomach hurts, I am very pale and I have huge dark circles around my eyes.
I want all of this to end.
I cry every day.
I'm so tired," Russian biathlon competitor Valeria Vasnetsova posted on Instagram on Thursday, the AP reported.
A reporter participating in the Beijing Olympics underwent a COVID-19 test on February 2, 2022. Everyone involved in the Games must be tested daily. Andy Wong / AP
Vasnetsova blamed her health problems on the food at the isolation hotel where she was staying, posting a photo of what she said was her "breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already": a tray of food that included plain pasta, orange juice, meat almost charred on a bone, some potatoes and no vegetables.”
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Christophe Dubi said on Sunday that organizers will work to ensure "everything is perfect" for the athletes as they wait for the go-ahead to come out of isolation.
Han Zirong of the Beijing Organizing Committee also noted that athletes who test positive will now be able to order food from the Olympic Village and receive it in their isolation rooms.
To date, the organizers have reported that a total of 363 people inside what they call "the Olympic bubble" have tested positive for COVID-19.
In addition to the athletes, those affected include members of the press, team members and game officials, the AP reported.
Chinese health authorities require everyone involved in the Games to take daily PCR tests to detect the presence of the virus.
Another that has complained about the poor conditions of the isolation hotels is the German delegation, which demands larger and cleaner rooms and more frequent food deliveries, so that the athletes are in shape to compete, once the quarantine is over, according to the AP report.
The Winter Olympics in Beijing have not only had to navigate the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic - the games are taking place under heavy restrictions, a much smaller opening ceremony than originally planned, with no international fans, tickets available for the general public - but has also had to face the diplomatic boycott of the United States for "China's abuses of human rights".
