Over 700 athletes from 47 countries competed in Torun, Poland, from March 4th to 7th. More and more European associations are reporting positive test results from their athletes. According to the British “Times“as well as the industry service”Inside the Games“There are now nine British, eight Dutch, five French, four Ukrainian and one team member each from Poland, Austria and Ireland. 15 Italian athletes should compete according to the Italian newspaper”Gazzetta dello Sport“have infected.
The German Athletics Association DLV announced that after returning from the European Indoor Championships, seven athletes tested positive. DLV– Head coach Annett Stein is at a loss: “For me, the local hygiene rules in Torun were very, very marginal. Not because they were too lax, but because they were very strict. We cannot explain it to ourselves.“
Przybylko reports on symptoms: “That was relatively intense!”
Two of the seven German athletes come from Leverkusen. European high jump champion Mateusz Przybylko is one of them. Handicapped by pain in his foot, he finished 7th on the last day of the European Indoor Championships. After a negative corona test, he was allowed to return to Germany. Five days later, he woke up with heavy arms and feeling battered. A corona test gave a positive result on the same day. In the evening there was a sudden severe headache and body ache, plus a fever of up to 39.5 degrees, chills and a painful dry cough. “Except for the loss of taste and smell, I had all symptoms. I don’t wish that to anyone. That was relatively violent!“
Infection center warm-up hall?
He doesn’t know where Przybylko got infected. “We were in a bubble, I felt safe. All athletes were tested.“There are various possibilities for the European high jump champion in Berlin 2018.”A member of the Polish organization team whose infection was unknown. Or an incorrect test result from an athlete who infected other athletes, and we were just unlucky.“The possibility of being infected in the warm-up hall, in which the Austrian association suspects a source of infection, is also an option for Przybylko.”There were too many athletes without enough distance in a space that was far too narrow.“
Three cases during the competitions
Other German team members report that individual associations have applied the locally applicable hygiene rules laxly. There were no consequences. The infection of three Polish relay runners became known during the competitions.
Mateusz Przybylko has been getting better every day since this week. Only the dry cough persists. If the next PCR test is negative and the doctors give the green light, he wants to cautiously get back into training.
Stand: 18.03.2021, 15:29
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