U.S. Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles, who was favored to win the gold medal in the 200 meter final, came in third last week despite having COVID-19. Immediately after crossing the finish line, he collapsed on the track and was carried off in a wheelchair.
On one hand, his bronze medal was an impressive feat – but on the other, was it really a good idea for Lyles, who is also asthmatic, to run the race while sick?
KNX News Chief Correspondent Charles Feldman put that question to Dr. Arthur Caplan, chief of the medical ethics division at NYU Langone Health.
“I think it is morally utterly irresponsible not to be paying attention to public health issues at these Olympics,” he said. “Clearly, the runner who ran and won the 100 meters and competed in the 200 meters and then collapsed and had to be moved off in a wheelchair had underlying health problems – in his case, asthma – that put him at great risk from COVID.”
Unlike the last two Olympics, there were no COVID-19 restrictions this year, allowing athletes to compete even if they’ve tested positive. There was also no mandated masking or testing.
“COVID still is killing 1000 people a week in the U.S. It disables people, puts them in the hospital sometimes,” Caplan said. “Running an Olympics and saying we don't care about the health of the athletes, we don't care whether they're infecting other people, we don't care about the coaches or, or officials who might be older and at high risk from illness – that is just completely irresponsible here.”
Lyles reportedly left the Olympic Village to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 and wore a mask during warmups, but he didn’t mask while running the 200 meter race. His fellow competitor Letsile Tebogo, who won the gold, told ESPN he didn’t know Lyles had COVID-19.
Caplan balked at the lack of protocols for infected athletes, who can still spread the virus even if they aren’t feeling too sick to compete.
“That is not public health in response to contagious disease,” he said. “I may want to know, because I have a condition that would put me at risk if you’re in the dorm room next to me at the Olympics, if you’re mingling with me at the dining hall, that you are positive, even if you’re not particularly impacted by that disease.”
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
The World Health Organization said at least 40 athletes at the Olympics had tested positive for COVID-19.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
