German cyclist Simon Geschke.
A German athlete who was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) after arriving in Japan to participate in the Tokyo Olympics said that life in isolation was “like a prison”.
German cyclist Simon Geschke (35) tweeted on his way home from quarantine in Japan on the 1st, “I am very happy to return after the most useless trip of my athletic career.”
Previously, Geschke was quarantined at a nearby hotel on the 23rd of last month when he tested positive for COVID-19. He was the only player in the team who was diagnosed with the virus and was unable to play. Geschke told the media that it was difficult to accept the fact that he was infected because he had already been vaccinated before leaving the country.
It is said that what made Gesuke even more discouraged was his ‘prison-like’ quarantine. The hotel room windows were always locked, and I was only allowed to leave the room three times a day. He said, “The speaker installed on the ceiling of the room woke me up at 7 am and took my body temperature,” he said.
German cyclist Simon Geschke.
There were also problems with food. According to a photo posted by Geschke on Twitter, the meals provided to him, a vegetarian in the early stages of quarantine, consisted of rice, soy sauce, boiled broccoli and boiled cabbage. Eventually, he got snack support from his own Olympic committee.
He also said that he was not allowed to bring a knife, so he used a nail trimmer to cut fruits and other things. “Everything is a little strange here.”
It’s not the first time players have complained about quarantine facilities in Japan. Earlier, according to Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun, on the 27th of last month, players of the Netherlands national team held a group protest, complaining that the quarantined hotel facilities were inhumane.
Dutch skateboarder Jacobs Candy said on Instagram that “not being able to breathe outside (the window doesn’t open) is so inhumane” and “I’ve been pushed to a very dead end mentally.”
Athletes’ rights advocacy group based in Berlin, Germany, said on the 30th of last month that athletes in quarantine are experiencing problems such as not being provided with a balanced meal and communication with medical workers due to language problems, demanding improvement in treatment. issued a statement that
By Kim Eun-bin, staff reporter kim.eunbin@joongang.co.kr
