Olympian Kim Meylemans had actually expected to be released from her corona quarantine on Wednesday. But what followed was a nightmare for the athlete – until the IOC got involved.
German-born skeleton rider Kim Meylemans, who competes for Belgium, is in the Olympic Village in Yanqing. This was announced by the Belgian Olympic Committee (BOIC). Just hours earlier, the 25-year-old tearfully reported on her opaque fate a few days before the start of the Winter Games after continuing to isolate herself in another facility after three negative corona tests.
Meylemans will continue to be monitored over the next seven days “as part of the so-called ‘Close Contacts Policy’,” wrote the BOIC. She will be accommodated in a single room in the Olympic Village and will be tested twice a day. In addition, Meylemans is only allowed to train in isolation.
Women’s competition in skeleton will be held on February 12
The International Olympic Committee also got involved in the case. After learning of the athlete’s personal situation, “the BOIC was contacted immediately to ensure that the athlete was offered appropriate assistance quickly,” the IOC said in a statement.
In her video released on Wednesday, Meylemans tearfully said she thought after three negative test results “I’m allowed to go to the Olympic Village now. But the ambulance went to another facility where I am now. I have to stay here for another seven days with two more PCR tests per day without contact with anyone else.” Then came the reaction.
Meylemans, who started as a junior for Germany and has been on the ice track for Belgium since 2014, tested positive on Sunday when she arrived in Beijing, after which she tested negative three times. She had only gone through a corona infection at the beginning of the year. The women’s skeleton competition will take place on February 12, with the first training run scheduled for next Monday.