"If these measures seem overly cautious to you, consider that plenty of elite athletes rely on their lungs to a degree that most of us do not. There's a reason why the likes of skiier Johannes Høsflot Klaebo are especially careful to avoid infection: issues with their lungs can be the difference between being a medalist and not. (Klaebo recently took home a gold medal in the skiathlon, for the record.)"
"Yes, there are some athletes who have competed with COVID - Noah Lyles comes to mind. But when you're competing at the highest levels of any sport, milliseconds can sometimes separate a medalist from an also-ran. And if you're someone who has worked for years to get to this point, why would you risk not being at your physical peak?"
The 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021) featured quarantine measures to limit COVID-19 spread, but quarantine bubbles were gone by the Winter Olympics. Many athletes still take individual precautions to reduce infection risk, including masking in public, finding separate lodging, and isolating from others. Outbreaks such as a team-wide stomach flu delayed a women's hockey game between Finland and Canada. Respiratory health is especially critical for endurance athletes; lung infections can be the difference between winning a medal and falling short. Some athletes have competed with COVID, yet many choose caution because fractions of seconds determine outcomes.
Read at InsideHook
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