2021-22

What Did the Olympics Look Like Amid the Surge of Omicron?

During the peak of COVID-19, the Olympics have looked a lot different than they have before. Take a look at what Winter Olympians went through this year.

Hasset Kassa, Writer|March 8, 2022

I got this from https://www.photosforclass.com/search/olympics

The protocols for this Winter Olympics were different from the pre-covid games. Competitors had to arrive twenty-one days before the games to quarantine and went through rigorous procedures to be qualified for the competition, such as daily coronavirus testing. They also had to stay in a closed-loop village and were forbidden to leave unless they had to train/compete. Truly the perfect recipe for depression.

The Effect

“

I have no more tears

— Natalia Maliszewska

Olympic athletes reported feeling out-of-shape and tired. They took to Instagram and other social media apps to speak about their conditions, which were, perhaps, one of the saddest things I’ve read. One Russian Olympian stated, “I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day.” She was given the same meal for five days in a row. It consisted of plain pasta, sauce, a couple of roasted potatoes, meat, and chicken; no vegetables. There have been complaints about other things, too. A German ski jumper said officials “destroyed women’s ski jumping” due to her disqualification for wearing clothes that were too baggy. “I have been checked so many times in 11 years of ski jumping, and I have never been disqualified once, I know my suit was compliant,” she mentioned in another interview. The weather was also a pressing issue, with Frida Karlsson almost passing out after skiing in -31 degrees Celsius, even though the FIS (International Ski Federation) says Olympians shouldn’t be allowed to compete in temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius.

Sources:

Butterfield, Michelle. “’It’s a Big Joke for Me’: Olympics Athletes Say They’re Starved for Food, Information – National.” Global News, Global News, 11 Feb. 2022, https://globalnews.ca/news/8609906/beijing-olympics-athlete-complaints-food-covid-weather/.

“’Completely Destroyed’: Athletes Fume over Olympics Nightmare.” Fox Sports, FOX SPORTS Australia, 7 Feb. 2022, https://www.foxsports.com.au/beijing-olympics-2022/completely-destroyed-athletes-fume-over-olympics-nightmare/news-story/c0dc0bde1f9e046089a834fdfd1f1013.

“’I Want All This to End.’ Some Beijing Olympics Athletes Say They’re Starved for Food and Information at the 2022 Winter Games.” MSN, https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/winter-olympics/fyre-fest-or-the-beijing-olympics-some-athletes-say-they-e2-80-99re-starved-for-food-and-information-at-the-2022-winter-games/ar-AATzkJR.