how Organizers Hold Call With Isolated Athletes

Olympic organizers say they had a call with athletes Sunday to discuss living conditions at isolation hotels. “We know that that’s not easy for anyone in that situation, but particularly an athlete who’s gone through the journey to get here,” said Kit McConnell, sports director for the International Olympics Committee.   Organizers were not able to immediately say how many athletes are currently in the isolation hotels because they tested positive, but said the numbers have been coming down.  Everyone inside the Olympic bubble is required to take COVID-19 tests. Those who are confirmed positive must go to an isolation facility until they’re cleared for discharge, either through negative tests or a review by a panel of medical experts. The call with athletes came after complaints about inadequate food, small and unclean rooms, and a lack of access to training equipment. Over the weekend, organizers said they were addressing the issues and that athletes in isolation would be able to order food from the Olympic Village and have it delivered to their rooms. As of Monday, organizers say 387 people inside the Olympic bubble have tested positive. The figure includes news media and team officials, not just athletes. Beat Feud of Switzerland is in first place in the Olympic men’s downhill and is on the brink of capturing gold with only lower-ranked skiers remaining. The 41-year-old Johan Clear of France was 0.10 seconds behind in second, and two-time Olympic champion Matthias Mayer of Austria was 0.16 behind in third.  A victory would give Feud the one thing lacking from a career filled with accomplishments. He won a silver medal in super-G and bronze in downhill at the 2018 Olympics, and is the four-time reigning World Cup downhill champion. The 5-foot-8 (1.72-meter) Feud is second in this season’s downhill standings. Players for Canada and the Russian team are wearing masks upon returning to the ice for their women’s hockey preliminary round game at the Beijing Olympics.  The start of the game was delayed for an hour after the Canadians stayed in their locker room rather than coming out for puck drop. The Russian team eventually returned to its locker room before both teams returned to the ice about 50 minutes after the game was scheduled to start. The reason behind the delay is unclear, though this is the first game of the Beijing Olympics hockey tournament in which players were required to wear facemasks. The American-born freestyle skier who spurned Team USA for China ahead of the Beijing Games risked missing the finals in women’s big air when she lost a ski on her second run and crashed into do-or-die position entering Round 3. GU scaled back her plans in the final round and landed a conservative right-side 900. The game, Week long Sports Center, was originally scheduled for 12:10 p.m. Beijing time. It won’t start until at least an hour later. The game was delayed initially when the Canadian team stayed in its locker room after taking part in the pre-game warm up. American figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive as part of a regular COVID-19 screening at the Beijing Olympics, one day after struggling through a poor free skate for the eventual team silver medalists.