Athletes are ‘crying like crazy’ in hellish quarantine with miserable food where ‘hope is dead’ as DOZENS miss out on their events after testing positive and being carted off to isolation camps

  • Athletes complained of hellish conditions in Chinese isolation hotels after dozens were confined with Covid
  • Valeria Vasnetsova, a Russian biathlete, uploaded a grim picture of food she said was served three times a day for five days straight, leaving her emaciated with ‘bones sticking out’
  • Natalia Maliszewska, a Polish skater, was left ‘crying and crying’ after being repeatedly taken to isolation over unclear Covid tests – including ‘horror’ wake-up by officials at 3am 
  • German team boss said conditions ‘unacceptable’ with rooms too small, unhygienic, and Covid tests not given

Dozens of athletes thrown into virus isolation at China‘s zero-Covid Winter Olympics have laid bare their misery – describing ‘crying like crazy’ after being hauled out of bed at 3am before being fed miserable food in rooms too small for exercise.

Beijing is attempting to hold a virus-free event in the midst of a pandemic, cutting off competitors and their teams in a bubble where tests must be taken every day, with anyone who tests positive dragged off to isolation.

But conditions in isolation are reportedly dire. Valeria Vasnetsova, a Russian biathlete, claims she was served the same inedible meal three times a day for five days in a row – and that it left her so emaciated that her ‘bones [were] sticking out’.

Head of German team Dirk Schimmelpfennig also blasted ‘unacceptable’ conditions for his athletes, saying isolation rooms are too small, not hygienic enough, the food is poor and PCR tests that athletes must take to free themselves are not being given.

Natalia Maliszewska, a Polish speed skater, described being repeatedly moved into and out of quarantine over successive days due to conflicting Covid test results, an experience she described as a ‘trauma’ that left her ‘crying and crying’.

During one ‘night of horror’ she said officials dragged her out of bed at 3am in order to take her back to the athlete’s village after ruling she was Covid-free – only to later say they made a mistake before taking her back into solitary.

‘I was sitting in the ambulance. It was 3am. I was crying like crazy because I didn’t know what was going on. I did not feel safe at all,’ the 26-year-old said.

There are currently 387 people from the athletes’ bubble in Covid isolation in China, though this also includes members of their teams and press. The exact number of competitors in solitary is not clear, but is thought to be in the dozens.

Vincent Zhou, an American figure skater and medal hopeful, was among athletes to test positive on Monday and was taken to isolation. Austrian snowboarder Sabine Schöffmann also tested positive.

Jukka Jalonen, head of Finland’s ice hockey team, said on Sunday that China is violating the human rights of one of his star players by keeping him in isolation despite team doctors clearing him to play.

Marko Anttila has been locked up in an isolation facility since testing positive for the virus 18 days ago, Jalonen said, and remains in isolation despite being symptom-free.

Under China’s strict rules, people can only leave isolation after returning two negative PCR tests taken 24 hours apart.

However, the WHO warns against using PCR tests to determine isolation periods because people can continue testing positive on the very sensitive kits for weeks after they are infectious because small traces of virus remain in their systems.

Anttila is under huge mental strain, Jalonen said, while adding that the athlete ‘is not getting good food’.

His complaint about the food echoes that of Vasnetsova, who took to Instagram to post an image of food she says was served to her three times a day for five days.

The image shows a portion of plain pasta, some kind of grilled meat on the bone, an unidentifiable orange sauce, some potatoes, and what appears to be plain chicken.

Other than the potatoes, which appear to have been fried, no vegetables are included on the plate.

In a message alongside the since-deleted post, she wrote: ‘My stomach hurts, I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes.

‘I want all this to end. I cry every day. I’m very tired.’

Vasnetsova went on to claim that non-athletes on her team being held in the same hotel appear to have been getting better food, saying her team doctor was served  fresh fruit, a salad and prawns with broccoli.

‘I honestly don’t understand, why is there this attitude to us, the athletes,’ she wrote.

International Olympic Committee Sport Director Kit McConnell on Monday said the isolation of athletes was a top priority.

He added that the IOC had held a call with Olympic officials from countries represented at the Games to understand the issues the athletes were facing.