China

Im surprised he didnt point out the complaints about the food and inhumane isolation, but its probably because the video was released before day 2. https://archive.ph/bfGS6

WINTER OF DISCONTENT Winter Olympic athletes fume over poor food, inhumane isolation rooms and bitter COLD weather as games go into meltdown

WHINGING winter athletes went into meltdown today as there were complaints about food, the bitterly cold weather and inhumane isolation rooms. Day two of the Beijing Games saw competitors and officials rant and rave about the facilities and conditions they were subjected to in the Chinese capital.

First it was Germans who made their feelings known about the lack of decent catering at the Alpine course near Yanqing. This followed the decision to cancel the blue riband men’s downhill on Sunday due to high winds and move it back to the Monday instead. Skiing coach Christian Schwaiger moaned: “The catering is extremely questionable because really it’s not catering at all. “I’d have expected that the Olympic Committee would be capable of providing hot meals. “There are no hot meals. There are crisps, some nuts and chocolate and nothing else. This shows a lack of focus on high-performance sport.” Some had come prepared and the USA team had the foresight to bring along camping food – like bags of pasta – that needed hot water to make a meal.

Next up the Swedes called on skiing chiefs to start cross-country races earlier in the day to protect their stars from the freezing temperatures and biting, brisk winds. It has been about -20C degrees in the mountains of Zhangjiakou, some 200 km north-west of Beijing. Races are generally being held late afternoon to make it easier for European audiences to watch. Swedish team boss Anders Bystroem groaned: “We have the cold limits we have, there is not much to say about that. I do not know if they also measure the wind effect. “If FIS says it's -17 degrees and it's windy, and it's -35 degrees with the wind chill, what do you do then?” “The women’s skiathlon on Saturday at 4pm and Frida Karlsson was completely destroyed by the cold. It’s not good that the sprint starts even later. “We have talked in the team about making a request (to race earlier) during the day if it's possible. “At the same time I don't think it will be possible to change the time because of the Olympic schedule.”

INSTANT COVID HOSPITALISATIONS Then the Russians and Finns got on their soapboxes to air grievances about the quarantine conditions for those who test positive for Covid. It is believed more than 360 Games participants, including 142 athletes and national staff, have tested positive upon arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport. Athletes who test positive but without symptoms go to a dedicated hotel for isolation. Anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms will be immediately hospitalised. In both cases, they will be able to compete once they have tested negative on successive days. Russian biathlon competitor Valeria Vasnetsova posted on Instagram from one of the city's so-called quarantine hotels that her “stomach hurts” from a lack of quality food being delivered. She said: “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.” Meanwhile, the coach of the Finnish men’s ice hockey team accused China of not respecting a player’s human rights. The Finnish Olympic team say Marko Anttila – formerly of the Chicago Blackhawks – had tested positive 18 days ago but produced several negative results prior to departure. Head coach Jukka Jalonen blasted: “Marko has been with our team for about a week before we came here and he tested negative.