Olympic Athletes Complain About Conditions At Beijing Games, Lack Of Food

Olympic athletes competing in Beijing are reportedly complaining of a lack of food and dire conditions at the Winter Games.

German skiing coach Christian Schwaiger bemoaned the “extremely questionable” catering, criticizing the Olympic Committee for allegedly not providing hot meals to athletes, according to The Sun.

“There are no hot meals. There are crisps, some nuts and chocolate and nothing else. This shows a lack of focus on high-performance sport,” Schwaiger reportedly said, noting Team USA came prepared with bags of pasta and other items.

Meanwhile, Russian biathlon competitor Valeria Vasnetsova posted to Instagram that she missed her competition after testing positive for COVID-19 and has received pasta, orange sauce, meat and potatoes for all three meals of the day for five days straight, according to NPR.

“My stomach hurts, I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day. I’m very tired,” the Instagram post reportedly read. Her account has since been made private.

Three-time gold medalist Eric Frenzel also tested positive for the virus, with the head of Germany’s delegation saying the hotel where the athlete was forced to quarantine had “unreasonable” conditions. The room was reportedly too small and dirty, with late food deliveries.

Athletes who test positive for the coronavirus are forced to quarantine and can only compete once they produce two consecutive negative PCR test results, according to NPR.

Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans shared a tear-filled post to Instagram detailing her confusing ordeal after she tested positive upon arriving in Beijing.

Meylemans said she was frightened over the city’s COVID-19 protocols, noting how she thought she was being taken to the Olympic Village in Yanqing after testing positive for the virus but was instead taken by ambulance to a remote location.

 

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement Monday noting their “ongoing commitment to delivering safe and splendid Olympic Winter Games.” (RELATED: Putin Appears To Fall Asleep While Ukrainian Team Is Introduced At Olympics)

“Any issue – we have to address. No stone can be left unturned. And this is what we have to do until the very last day,” IOC Executive Director for Olympic Games Christophe Dubi said. “We also have a duty, and this is a point we have made on our side, within the Olympic family, and with you (the media) as well – it’s that everything we see, every issue we can identify at that point in time, we have to help the Organizing Committee to address.”