Olympic athletes from years past likely have some stories to share about living in the Olympic Village with fellow competitors from around the world. But none quite compare to those being experienced in 2022, coronavirus quarantine style.
Athletes at the Beijing Olympics who test positive for COVID-19 must undergo mandatory isolation at a nearby facility until they test negative with two consecutive PCR tests 24 hours apart.
However, some athletes are complaining that their quarantine conditions are less than favorable.
Officials from several teams say athletes forced to quarantine are experiencing bad to no internet connection, a lack of training equipment and poor food quality, according to NPR.
Valeria Vasnetsova, a Russian biathlon competitor who missed her event because she was sick, took to Instagram to complain about the food. She wrote on her now-private account that she was fed plain pasta, orange sauce, meat and potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days straight, NPR reported.
"I cry every day," she wrote. "I've lost a lot of weight and my bones are sticking out. I can't eat anything else... I only eat three handfuls of pasta a day because it's just impossible to eat the rest of the food."
Finnish ice hockey player Marko Anttila also complained about the subpar food quality.
"He is not getting great food and he is a very big guy," coach Jukka Jalonen told Reuters. "He would like to have more energy and better food there as well. Because he doesn't know what's going on and what will happen with him. It is like uncertainties so it is a bad thing also mentally."
Dirk Schimmelpfennig, Germany's team chief, called three-time gold medalist Eric Frenzel's isolation room "unreasonable," saying there was not enough space for him to exercise, it wasn't hygienically clean and food was not delivered regularly.
"These hotels were not shown to us in advance and we have the situation that the athletes rightly ask for improvement," Schimmelpfennig told Reuters.
After public complaints from multiple athletes, conditions have reportedly improved. Many athletes received stationary exercise bikes for their isolation rooms. An official from the Beijing Organizing Committee also said that athletes in isolation would be allowed to order delivery food from the Olympic Village going forward, according to the Associated Press.
Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee's executive director, said organizers are working to ensure "everything is perfect" for athletes in quarantine.
"These are exactly the kind of things we have to address. It's a duty. It's a responsibility. We have to make sure that the expectations are met," Dubi said, according to the AP.
As of Sunday, February 6, more than 350 athletes and participants -- including staff, team officials and media -- have tested positive for COVID-19 since their arrival in Beijing on January 23.
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