When the 2020 Tokyo Olympics kicked off in the summer of 2021 after being postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there was regular testing, mask wearing and a ban on spectators. Three years later, it’s a very different scene at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to a Wednesday, August 7, Washington Post piece, at least 40 athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Paris Games thus far, but there is no rule barring said athletes from continuing to train and compete.
Late last month, Australian swimmer Lani Pallister was cleared to return to the pool one day after she tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew from the women’s 1500m freestyle event Her decision to sit out the 1500m freestyle wasn’t based on Olympic guidelines, but a desire to “save her energy” for the 4x200m freestyle relay that took place two days later, the Australian Olympic Committee announced via social media.
Pallister’s COVID-19 case came days after five members of Australia’s women’s water polo team tested positive for the virus.
“We treat COVID no differently to any other respiratory illness, but we want to ensure that we have our protocols working as well. Dealing with these illnesses and minimizing them is a part and parcel of every Olympic Games,” Australian chef de mission Anna Meares said during a press conference last month.
Meares added that the water polo athletes would continue to practice with protocols in place.
“They have been wearing their masks, they are isolating from other team members when they are not training, they are not going into the high-volume areas of the allotment like the gym and the performance pantry,” she explained.
There are no specific COVID-19 restrictions at the 2024 Paris Olympics, meaning that individual athletes and teams may determine for themselves how to prevent or respond to infection. There is no mandated masking, testing or temperature checking, although the Olympic Village does have single rooms available for athletes who test positive for COVID-19.
Given the new rules — or lack thereof — some athletes who test positive for COVID-19 may continue competing while others may decide to bow out. German decathlete Manuel Eitel announced via Instagram late last month that he had withdrawn from the Olympics due to a COVID-19 infection.
“Today is and will be one of the worst days of my life,” his statement began. “Due to COVID infection, I have to cancel my entry for the Paris Olympics for 2024. What I feel right now exceeds any defeat I’ve ever experienced in sports. I’m absolutely stunned, completely lost and do not understand the world anymore. How many times I’ve fought, how hard I’ve worked to earn these games, few people know.”
British swimmer Adam Peaty, meanwhile, tested positive for COVID-19 last month less than 24 hours after winning a silver medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke final. He returned to the pool less than one week later and helped his team reach the final of the men’s 4×100 medley relay.
Team USA has also been impacted; sprinter Noah Lyles tested positive before winning a bronze medal in the men’s 200m final on Thursday, August 8. After the race, he exclusively told NBC News that he’d never considered sitting out the race.
“We were just going to try and quarantine as much as possible and stay away [from other people], not try and pass it off,” he said.
While Lyles, 27, acknowledged that COVID-19 had “taken its toll” on him, he said he’d “run with worse conditions.”
As for whether he’ll compete in the men’s 4x100m relay on Friday, August 9, Lyles admitted he’s not sure at the moment.
“I don’t know. I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing,” he said. “They’ve proven with great certainty that they can handle it without me. If that’s the case coming off today, I’m perfectly fine saying, ‘You guys go do your thing.’”
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Track and Field released a joint statement on Thursday regarding Lyles’ decision to compete in the 200m final with COVID-19.
“Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete,” the two entities said. “After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”
While more than 40 COVID-19 cases among this year’s Olympic athletes may seem like a lot, NBC News medical contributor Dr. Kavita Patel told Today.com last month that based on existing guidelines, 5 percent of athletes (there are about 10,500 athletes participating in the Paris Games) would need to contract COVID-19 within a seven-day period to be considered an outbreak.