[ad_1]
Kim Meylemans tearfully explained how she thought her nightmare ended.
Meylemans, a Belgian skeleton racer, had just returned from racing after a battle with the coronavirus when he traveled to Beijing on Sunday in early January. A dozen negative tests in the weeks before he entered the Winter Olympics had reassured him that his recovery was just in time.
So when Meylemans learned that he had tested positive on arrival, he was stunned and frustrated when quickly moved to an isolation hotel. What happened next shook him.
In Crying video shared on InstagramMeylemans said he thought he was told by the Chinese authorities that he would be allowed to return to the Olympic Village to complete his isolation, but would be taken to another facility and further isolated.
Breathing hard and looking confused, Meylemans said he wasn’t sure if he would be fit to compete. He claimed that even Belgian Olympic officials were not told where he was taken. “I’m asking you to give me some time to think about my next steps, because while I’m in this isolation I’m not sure I can handle another 14 days and Olympic competition,” he said.
Help came quickly. Hours after his video went viral on social media, Meylemans posted a new video in which he said he knocked at the door at 11:35 PM from the authorities who immediately escorted him to the Olympic Village.
Still, his case highlighted the discomfort and confusion that many athletes, journalists, and other visitors expressed before the Games in China. zero covid strategy. These rules have often led to confusion, anxiety, and – in the case of Meylemans – fear.
“This is the problem we said would happen from the beginning,” said Rob Koehler, general manager of Global Athlete, an advocacy group. “No one knew what to expect.”
The International Olympic Committee, which is negotiating with Chinese authorities to reduce the trigger value for Game participants to return a negative test, said in a statement that it learned of Meylemans’ case after he was released. He said he was treated in accordance with the close contact rules in the so-called Olympic playbooks that govern Covid protocols for the Games. (Many New York Times journalists who attended the games were subject to the same restrictions that required them to eat and travel alone while working.) The IOC said the decision to move Meylemans to a second isolation facility was only a matter of time. usable space.
“Close contacts can train and compete, live in the Olympic Village, but they must be in one room, transported alone and dine alone,” the IOC said.
The IOC said that when Olympic officials were briefed on Meylemans’ “difficult situation”, they acted quickly to arrange for a single room at the Olympic Village for Meylemans.
Once inside, a visibly relieved Meylemans soon returned online and posted a series of Instagram stories as she lay in bed. She thanked her friends for their interest and the Belgian Olympic officials for their help. “At least I’m back in the village,” she said. “I feel safe.”
[ad_2]
Source link