Covid Olympics

It's the pinnacle of denialism and such a waste of talent to have top athletes practice for decades of their lives for this one event, then put them together with coaches and family members without ANY precautions, and then watch them get sick one after another. 

Sports Illustrated argued (from J. Offir), 

"If the International Olympic Committee insisted that all participants be at their mental and physical best at the moment of competition, no event would ever take place. . . .  Lyles said he never considered withdrawing. . . . Of course he was sick, and of course it affected him--and of course it doesn't really matter. They held the men's 200 at the Olympics this week, Noah Lyles was the third-fastest man in the final and that's that." 

In other words, we have to live with the virus. Tons of athletes are just going to collapse during or after or before performing. That's the new normal we're ushering in rather than wear N95s. In another article they splash the "R" word around: resilience!! We have to push through despite having preventable spread of a virus allowed throughout the Olympic village!! 

We still protect film stars, and the Tour de France got on board eventually, but the Olympics are more resilient and don't need no stinkin' precautions!! They're too big and strong to need to protection, or... something. 

Hey, we all need protection from this, no matter how strong or fast you are. You can't beat it and you can't run from it. It's tiny and sneaky and will hide in your organs, biding its time, until it takes over. 

The athletes who were able to cross the finish line and then collapse are the heroes of they mythology. The ones who underperformed or collapsed before finishing will just not be heard from again. They're side characters.

It's not just about the collapsing, but on the cycling track, announcers commented, 

"Riders not focused enough on what they're doing--scattered, not riding a nice, smooth ride. There's word that there's a virus running through the hotel they're staying at, obviously having an impact on all of these athletes."

Arthur Caplan wrote about the failure to manage health at the Olympics in STAT:

"Lyles ran the 200-meter race knowing he had Covid. At 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning, August 6, Lyles tested himself for Covid-19 after waking up with a sore throat, an aching body, and chills. When the test came back positive, Lyles says he decided to isolate in a hotel near the Olympic Village, took Paxlovid, and tried to get as much rest and fluids as he could. But knowing he had tested positive for Covid-19 — and had asthma — put him at risk of serious complications from Covid. The idea of not competing in the 200 was never something Lyles seriously considered. After getting a second-place finish in his semifinal heat on Wednesday, he said he “still wanted to run,” and that doctors gave him permission to try. I am not surprised that this young track star wanted to compete. But I can’t believe that his doctors, the International Olympic Committee, or any national Olympic organization would invoke the rationale that athletes get to decide whether to compete. . . . 

It’s up to . . . doctors, trainers, officials, coaches, and others to keep the athletes as safe as they can. That is exactly what their Code of Ethics, released earlier this year, commits them to do.The point of having health and medical expertise at any event, including the Olympics, is to ensure the health, short- and long-term, of the athletes, staff, coaches and officials. While the world has tired of Covid-19, it has not tired of harming us. Anyone with Covid in the tight confines of the Olympics should be revealing their infection, isolating, not competing depending on the intimacy required of their sport, and not mingling with others. Leaving decisions about competition up to each athlete is abnegating the duty to protect all who are participating in the games. . . . When Lyles collapsed, so did the credibility of those responsible for health at the Olympic Games."

And Troy Farah wrote about this denialism in Salon, but he starts with the claim that Lyles concealed his condition. He told his coach and the medical team, and they concealed his condition.

"Seeing an American Olympic star sprawled out and gasping on the track, and then taken away in a wheelchair, was more than a shocking image. It also represented the general 'mission accomplished' attitude towards SARS-CoV-2: We think we've won against the virus and we haven't. Covid isn't just spreading like wildfire through the Olympic Village in Paris--we are undergoing surges across the globe, with the World Health Organization tracking steep rises in infections in 84 countries. After more than four years fighting this thing, it is still knocking us out."

Well, we vaccinated at the beginning, and spent two years trying to prevent the spread with masks, and then we pretty much laid down in front of it. 

And Evan Blake wrote at WSWS,

"Those who organized the Paris Olympics were well aware that a horrific event like Lyles' collapse would happen, but proceeded with reckless abandon anyway. Summing up the callous disregard for the health of athletes, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland states, 'We know not everybody is going to make it through the games healthy.'

These are just the few that we're hearing about. Here's a whole spreadsheet of athletes affected that we're not hearing about and more images and articles from Laura Miers.

We need to be stronger and tougher and smarter and more courageous and proudly wear an N95 when in public in order to to protect ourselves and others from a life-destroying virus!!

ETA: Noah Lyles said, 

"I'm just going to let you know, there were a lot of people in the village who had Covid that just didn't say it. I'm just the most popular person who got Covid and actually said I had it. Because of that, it sutirs up a lot of controversy in itself."

Don't ask, don't tell??