Like Noah Lyles, Olympic athletes with COVID compete in Paris. Restrictions are now a thing of the past

PARIS — Many hoped the Paris Olympics would be the post-COVID-19 Games. Instead, they appear to be the “who cares about COVID” Games.

Noah Lyles won a bronze medal with the virus in front of tens of thousands of spectators, and dozens of other athletes at the Games have tested positive. But organizers have issued only health recommendations, not restrictions, allowing athletes to compete if they want and are able.

That’s in stark contrast to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which had to be delayed for a year due to the global pandemic and were held under strict COVID-19 regulations — and without fans at any events. Six months later, the Beijing Winter Olympics had even stricter protocols because of China’s zero-tolerance policy.

In Paris, the Olympics are reminiscent of pre-COVID-19 times. The French have brought back the double-slap “la bise” greeting. Fans happily reach out to athletes at the venues. Masks are rarely seen among the crowds, and people from all over the world can travel to France without proof of vaccination or negative tests for the virus.

The World Health Organization said earlier this week that at least 40 Olympic athletes have tested positive for the virus, as cases rise worldwide.

On Thursday night, Noah Lyles was wheeled off the track in a wheelchair after finishing third in the 200-meter dash. He later said he had tested positive for COVID two days earlier.

Last week, British star Adam Peaty tested positive less than 24 hours after winning a silver medal in swimming. He said he first felt unwell the day before the 100m breaststroke final.

The Australian delegation in Paris said five players from the women’s water polo team who were infected with COVID-19 can return to training as soon as they feel well enough to continue training.

COVID “is ​​being treated like any other respiratory disease,” International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Friday. “It’s being treated like the flu right now, so there’s no obligation to take any special measures or make any notifications.”

COVID is no longer a global health emergency according to the WHO, and with vaccination rates much higher than during the previous two Olympics, it is generally treated like any other respiratory disease. There has been a surge in COVID cases worldwide this summer, but because of vaccinations and previous infection, most cases are mild unless people are over 65 or have underlying health conditions.

A Paris 2024 spokesman said organizers are reminding athletes of “good practices” if they experience respiratory symptoms, including wearing a mask in the presence of others, limiting contact and washing hands regularly. National Olympic committees and federations may add further measures, said the spokesman, who could not be identified in line with Paris 2024 organizing committee policy.

The Olympic Village has its own clinic offering a wide range of free healthcare services to athletes.

The Tokyo Games in August 2021 took place before most countries had completed their vaccination programs, and vaccine supplies were still limited. Athletes, media and other guests were required to give saliva samples daily, and thousands of test tubes were given and tested during the games. A surge in positive cases outside the Olympic bubble prompted the government to declare increasingly widespread states of emergency.

Each positive test result resulted in immediate isolation in a separate “COVID hotel.” Anyone with serious symptoms was hospitalized.

All Olympic participants were required to have two negative COVID-19 tests before boarding their flight to Japan and were required to be tested again upon arrival.

Olympic dining rooms had plastic screens between each seat and guests were required to wear gloves to receive their food. There was no space for fans at any of the events, leading to bizarre scenes, with sound reverberating through empty stadiums and coaches being heard cheering on their athletes.

The rules for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022 were even stricter, in line with China’s policy.

Olympic organizers operated a health bubble — known as a “closed management system” — even for people vaccinated before, during and after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

No fans from outside China were allowed to enter the games. All Olympic media and sports officials had to test negative.

All Olympic volunteers from China had to go to individual hotel rooms and quarantine for three weeks before the Games and for three weeks after the Games before they returned home. They were given food and were not allowed to leave their rooms.

Anyone who tested positive was immediately isolated.

France once had strict COVID restrictions, including a strict lockdown when the pandemic first broke out in 2020, followed by mandatory rules on wearing masks outdoors, an eight-month coronavirus curfew and vaccination requirements. The country lifted its lockdown measures last year, instead recommending people follow basic health guidelines — just ahead of the Olympics, which organizers dubbed the “Wide Open Games.”

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Kate Brumback from Paris and Maria Cheng from London contributed to the preparation of the material.