At least ten athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including swimmers from multiple countries and five Australian water polo players have tested positive for COVID -19 in the last week. The uptick in cases has raised questions around the measures in place to stop the spread of COVID in Olympics. This year’s games are considered the first post pandemic Olympics. Unlike the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Olympics at Beijing, there are no strict protocols or restrictions around COVID-19 in Paris.
While the total number of cases of COVID-19 at the Paris Games remains unclear, a number of athletes have publicly announced that they tested positive during the games. Australian swimmer Zac Stubblety Cook is the latest confirmed athletes to test positive for COVID-19, revealing he was dealing with COVID in an Instagram post shared shortly after he won the silver medal in 200m breaststroke final on July 31, 2024.
Lani Pallister, another swimmer from Australia also tested positive for COVID-19 this week. The 22-year-old withdrew from the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle event on July 30, for the 4×200 meter freestyle relay on August 1, 2024. Pallister competed in the highly anticipated relay helping win the gold for Australia. Swimmers from Australia as all other athletes do follow protocols like isolation, social distancing and face masks.
In a statement, the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) said that ten athletes have been tested positively for respiratory illness including COVID-19. The AOC declined to specify how many of these cases were COVID. “We are normalising COVID in Australia and treat it no differently to any other respiratory illness. We have a range of protocols in place which include mask wearing and isolation where needed but we are making every attempt to ensure athletes can continue to train and compete,” the AOC added.
Last week, five players on the Australian women’s water polo team tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Paris 2024 news release. “We are treating COVID no differently to other bugs like the flu. This is not Tokyo,” Anna Meares, the chef de mission for the Australian Olympic team, said in a press conference on July 31, 2024.
According to Meares, the protocols for the Australian water polo players who tested positive included wearing masks, isolating from other team members outside of training and avoiding high-volume areas, like the gym. German athlete Manuel Eitel took to Instagram to share that he has withdrawn from the Games due to COVID -19. Maltese swimmer Sasha Batt also announced her COVID diagnosis on social media.
British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive for COVID-19 on July 29 less than 24 hours after winning a silver medal in breaststroke final. When asked if any USA team swimmers had tested positive for COVID-19, the swimming spokesperson said that they don’t share athlete health information publicly. So far, there are at least ten confirmed cases of COVID-19 among athletes at the Olympics which did not meet the threshold to be considered an outbreak.
Examples of COVID Protocols at the Paris Olympics include wearing masks in the presence of others, limiting contacts and washing hands regularly with soap and water and also use hand sanitizers which are found at all residential areas of the Olympic village. “Athlete health and safety is of the utmost priority for the IOC and Paris 2024. Paris 2024 is following good practices in managing infectious diseases at the Games.”
Paris 2024 also told French media last week that it’s “closely monitoring (COVID) developments in collaboration with the health ministry and Santé Publique France (the French national health agency)” and that it will decide to implement specific COVID measures if necessary “in agreement with the health ministry and the SPF.”
The USOPC told an international media agency that it has the following protocols in place to reduce the risk of COVID in its athletes:
“We implemented an infection prevention program prior to the Games (“Don’t let a cold keep you from the gold”) that encouraged athletes to wash their hands, wear face masks when indoors during their travel from the US to Paris, etc.
“At the Games, we encourage those who are feeling sick to come to the sports medicine clinic to be evaluated. “If they have an infectious disease, we will set them up with the indicated treatment/medications, and provide them with a private room so they don’t have to worry about getting their roommate sick.
“We will help with transportation so they aren’t in a bus with other athletes, and we will deliver their meals. “We will have them wear a mask anytime they are inside and around other people.
“We will allow them to train and compete as long as they feel up to it.”
Patel, who is in Paris at the Olympics, tells an international media agency that she’s observed zero COVID protocols and that most staff, including medical personnel, are not wearing masks, though a small number of spectators are. She also says it’s not clear how cases are being contained and expressed concern about availability of COVID tests.
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