Three years after the Tokyo Olympics were held without fans and under strict COVID-19 precautions, the Paris Games now face another wave of COVID concerns. Although the impact is more limited this time, the virus has forced some athletes to withdraw from events, with others taking precautions such as wearing masks again.
Among those affected in the Olympics is Australian swimmer Lani Pallister, who tested positive and had to withdraw from the women’s 1500 meters freestyle, a race in which she was a medal contender. The decision was made to conserve her energy for the 4x200m freestyle relay starting on Thursday.
Similarly, British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive a day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke, tying with American Nic Fink. Peaty emphasized his focus on a “fast, full recovery” to perform in the relay events later in the week. His teammate Matt Richards commented, “Adam’s okay, he’s not dying. He’s alright, just a bit of a cold. We’ll avoid it (COVID) as best as we can. If we get a little bit ill whilst we’re racing, we’ll keep racing.”
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Several Australian women’s water polo players also tested positive before the opening ceremony, leading to their isolation from the rest of the team. Despite this, the team played on Tuesday, defeating Serbia 8-3.
The Paris Games are the first Olympics since the pandemic with no strict COVID protocols or restrictions. “We have a protocol where any athlete that tests positive has to wear a mask, and we remind everyone to follow best practices,” said Anne Descamps, Paris 2024 chief communications director. “In terms of monitoring COVID, cases are quite low in France.”
However, British swimmer Jacob Whittle noted that his team is taking extra precautions. “We’re hand sanitizing and wearing masks everywhere we can,” he said. “We’re being extra cautious when eating, going on buses, and in communal spaces to avoid catching or spreading the virus.”
Canada’s chief medical officer Mike Wilkinson highlighted that his team continues to follow many of the infection prevention protocols that were successful during the pandemic in the Olympics, including hand washing, sanitization, and good hygiene practices. “We also have a team that disinfects shared spaces throughout the day and isolation protocols for anyone who does get sick,” he added.
