Winter Games: Virus strikes and dope cheats grab focus
SCRAMBLED IN TRANSLATION?
The casual viewer of the Pyeongchang Olympics could be forgiven for wondering just how many athletes are doped after a raft of recent revelations in winter sports, despite “every effort” to crack down.
Endurance sports such as cross-country skiing and biathlon have come under the most scrutiny, but — much like the Summer Olympics — no discipline has been completely unscathed in the build-up to the Games, which open on Friday.
Russian athletes deemed “clean” will compete under a neutral flag after their country was banned for a well-orchestrated drugs cheating system four years ago that allegedly had links all the way to the Kremlin.
Speaking on the eve of the Games in South Korea, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Craig Reedie attempted to assuage the concerns of athletes who fear their rivals could dope their way to gold. There had been “very substantial” testing ahead of the Games, he said, adding: “I hope (that) will give the athletes comfort that they are in a fair and honest competition.
“Every effort has been made to provide a proper playing field for the athletes and I hope, more than anything else, that at the end of the Games that is what it will be.”
But, ahead of the Olympics, British newspaper the Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD said they had been passed a database showing that more than 50 cross-country skiers set to compete returned abnormal readings between 2001 and 2010.
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NOROVIRUS STRIKES
The number of confirmed cases of the highly contagious norovirus at the Winter Olympics jumped by 42 to 128, organisers said on Thursday. No athletes are among those taken ill with the stomach bug, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, and organisers say they are doing everything they can to keep it that way.
Hundreds of soldiers have been drafted in to guard venues after 1,200 security staff were withdrawn and quarantined earlier this week over the outbreak, which can also be spread through food or water contamination.
INDIAN FLAG RAISED
The Indian flag was raised at the Games Village at a formal team welcome ceremony. Luger Shiva Keshavan, Indian contingent’s chef-de-mission Harjinder Singh and the mayor of the Games Village were present during the brief ceremony. Cross-country skier Jagdish Singh is yet to arrive and is expected to join the team on Friday. His departure was delayed due to confusion over who will accompany him as coach.
Egg sandwiches. Bacon and eggs. Egg salad. Eggs on toast. Scrambled eggs, or fried. After taking receipt of 15,000 eggs instead of the 1,500 they wanted, Norway’s team at this month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics may have a pretty limited menu. Norwegian chef de mission Tore Ovrebo struggled to suggest what they will do with the delivery, but did not rule out consuming them. Their registered 121-strong delegation of athletes and officials would get plenty of protein, eating 124 eggs each. “The eggs was more like a misunderstanding than something that we needed, so it was an extra zero on the order, so 1,500 to 15,000,” he said with a rueful laugh. “They will probably use them I guess and I don’t know, maybe the people that supplied us with them will take them back I don’t know. It’s not a big issue.” Ovrebo said it was important to enjoy the Games as well as scramble for medals. “The aim is to have fun, and be as good friends when we go back as when we came here.”
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