Just days ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the French capital has been hit with Coronavirus. An unnamed member of the Australian water polo team has been quarantined after testing positive of COVID-19, as confirmed by Anna Meares, the head of the nation’s Olympic contingent on Tuesday, July 23.
Meares, however, refrained from disclosing the identity of the athlete, but asserted that all individuals who had been in close contact with the affected athlete are also under observation and undergoing tests. “We were due to have two players from water polo with us; however, currently we have had one athlete from their team isolating with COVID which was detected last night,” Meares told in a news conference.
“So as a precaution they’re not joining us this morning. I need to emphasise that we are treating COVID no differently to other bugs like the flu. This is not Tokyo. The athlete is not particularly unwell and they are still training but sleeping in a single room,” Meares further said, adding that the entire team would continue their training sessions as scheduled.
“It was late last night when she presented with symptoms and the good thing is that having our own testing equipment means that we can get that information really, really quickly and intervene both in diagnosis and treatment,” Mears concluded. “In terms of competitions, we will wait until she gets the clear and we get the information from our chief medical officer Carolyn Broderick,” she concluded.
It is to be noted that the Tokyo 2020 were pushed back to 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The quadrennial games were organised with minimal spectators presence due the uncertain outbreak.
Moreover, the Health Minister of France, Frederic Valletoux added that there isn’t anything to worry on. “Of course, COVID, is here. We’ve seem a small peak. But we are far from what we saw in 2020, 2021, 2022. Some precautions are being taken but, because the level at which COVID is spreading is very low, they depend on the organisers,” he added.