Beijing (dpa) – Despite the constant number of new corona cases before the Winter Games in Beijing, the IOC does not want to commit itself to a termination scenario for the Olympics.
“We’re not setting any thresholds. It’s not just about the numbers, it’s also about the extent to which cases are related within the bubble,” said Brian McCloskey, head of the Medical Expert Committee. So far, there have been no related cases in the coronavirus bubble before the games started, the International Olympic Committee expert added.
Organizers report 32 new cases
The Chinese organizers had previously reported 32 new cases. The German team caught it for the second time. One of the 85 members of the team who entered China on Tuesday had tested positive for the virus, the German Olympic Sports Confederation said. The DOSB initially did not want to say whether it was an athlete. A supervisor who tested positive the previous week has now returned home.
The Olympic makers gave the total number of positive tests as 232 on Wednesday. Of these, 136 infections were found during controls at the airport, 96 within the so-called closed circuit for all those involved in the Olympics. Most of those who tested positive would show no symptoms, McCloskey said. However, eleven infected people should have been treated in the hospital. “None of these cases were of a serious nature,” said the IOC doctor.
When most of the participants have arrived in Beijing, the number of cases is expected to drop. “Those who follow the rules have a very low probability of testing positive,” McCloskey said.
Olympians in a bubble
A strict Corona security concept applies to the Winter Games. Everyone involved is completely segregated from the rest of the Chinese population. In order to detect infections quickly, everyone within the Olympic bubble must complete a daily PCR test.
Anyone who has contracted the virus will be isolated in a specially designated hotel. Only after two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart can those affected leave before the end of ten days. After this period, only a negative PCR test is required.
Seven members of the US team alone were in quarantine hotels on Wednesday, including two athletes. Bob co-favorite Elana Meyers Taylor, who tested positive shortly after arrival and is worried about her start, tweeted: “It’s all so crazy, I have a feeling we should postpone the Olympics until next year.”
Corona causes cancellations
For a number of athletes, the dream of the Winter Games was shattered even before they left. Austria’s women’s ski jumping team also has to do without Jacqueline Seifriedsberger after the Corona-Aus for top favorite Marita Kramer. She tested positive for the corona virus immediately before her departure.
Norway’s ski jumping duo Daniel-André Tande and Johann André Forfang will also miss the upcoming Olympic singles this weekend due to the corona. After corona infections in January, both were unable to produce the four negative PCR tests required for their entry into China in good time.
In contrast, this was achieved by skeleton medal candidate Axel Jungk. “Better late than never,” posted the overall World Cup runner-up from BSC Sachsen Oberbärenburg on Instagram. After two emotionally difficult weeks, he is now “just in the mood for everything that is to come,” Jungk continued.