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Inside Beijing Winter Olympics' horrific athlete quarantine camps

Covid-positive athletes, who have been forced to quarantine in hotels, claimed that they are not being given enough food

Hotels serving as quarantine facilities for athletes of the Beijing Winter Olympics are allegedly in horrific conditions. Those forced to quarantine in these hotels have claimed that they are not being given enough food. They have also complained about the quality of the food provided. There is allegedly a lack of training equipment.

Taking to social media, Russian biathlon competitor Valeria Vasnetsova said that the hotel food was leading to weight loss. "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," she said. Sharing a picture of the food she was given, she said that this was her "breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already". The tray contained plain pasta, an orange sauce, charred meat on a bone, a few potatoes, and no greens at all. 

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The athlete also said that she survived on a few pieces of pasta because it was "impossible" to eat the rest, "but today I ate all the fat they serve instead of meat because I was very hungry". She claimed that she lost a good amount of weight and "my bones are already sticking out".

Reportedly, some athletes who tested positive for Covid, are being forced into quarantine hotels that their teams cannot access. Other teammates in similar situations are allowed to isolate themselves within the Olympic village. Those without symptoms, as per rules, are required to go to a dedicated hotel for isolation.

US bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, a three-time Olympic medalist, tested positive for the virus in Beijing. She reportedly was separated from her two-year-old son Nico and forced into isolation by Chinese officials. However, she will be able to come back and compete. In a Twitter video, she was seen lifting a huge barbell in what she called an "isolation hotel workout". 

Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans posted a tearful video after she was loaded into an ambulance and transported from one quarantine facility to another. She complained about the lack of information. She was subsequently brought back from a quarantine hotel to isolation in the athletes' village.

Meanwhile, the organizers have been accused of blatant "propaganda" after they used an Uyghur athlete to light the cauldron at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, February 4. Uyghur cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang was one of the two Chinese competitors to ignite the flame.

Following the move, the Chinese government was widely criticized. The government was accused of committing crimes against humanity considering the way they treat Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. As per the allegations of several human rights groups, one million Uyghurs are being abused in "re-education" camps.