“Inedible” Meals Being Served To Olympians In Beijing

Serious issues with quarantine conditions have been reported in Beijing. The Olympic Athletes who have tested positive for COVID-19 complain that the conditions in the isolation hotel are horrific. The officials from Belgium, Russia, and Germany complained that the athletes are facing a terrifying situation in Beijing. Not only is the food nightmarish, but the other conditions are also poor which include bad internet connection, and no training equipment for the athletes. Owing to the poor internet condition, the athletes can’t even communicate with their teams and let them know about the food that they are being served. The food served to athletes is not only less in quantity but is also very bad in quality.

The Completely “Inedible Meals”

A Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova, in her Instagram post, revealed that the meals served to the athletes are “inedible meals”. She further states “I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day. I’ve been getting this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five days now. I’ve lost a lot of weight and my bones are sticking out”. Furthermore, she also says “I only sleep all day because I don’t even have the strength to get out of bed. I only eat three handfuls of pasta a day because it’s just impossible to eat the rest of the food”. This situation is frightening to even imagine.

After these posts, Valeria Vasnetsova’s account has gone private. She is reported to have missed her competition saying that she received orange sauce, pasta, meat, and potatoes three times a day, for five days straight. Dirk Schimmelpfennig who is the head of Germany’s delegation complains that the quarantine hotel conditions were “unreasonable”. There are also other complaints that indicate that the rooms in the hotels were too small. In addition to the small rooms, the overall conditions in the hotel were very unhygienic.

The athletes from all around the world are supposed to live in these conditions until they test negative with two consecutive PCR tests. Only upon testing negative will these athletes be able to leave the quarantine hotels. Another series of Instagram posts by Meylemans unfolded some more truths about the Beijing Situation. Meylemans shared that after being tested negative, she faced an awful surprise. Instead of being returned to the Olympic Village in Yanqing, she was moved to another isolation facility. This situation left her confused and devastated.

Response From The Authorities

Upon receiving all the negative feedback, the Olympic Games executive director, said: “That should never have happened”. In this statement, he particularly addressed Eric Frenzel from Germany who complained that the hotel conditions were “unreasonable”. He also said, “Every time there is an issue we have a very good network to relay info and address the problem as swiftly as we can”. Reportedly, the problems faced by athletes have minimized after that. Furthermore, Russia’s delegation also reported that Vasnetsova’s meals have vastly improved.