‘Athletes themselves caused corona outbreak at European Indoor Athletics Championships’ | Sport

sport">Especially on the last night of the tournament, not all athletes would have worn the mandatory face mask. In the days after the European Championship, there were positive cases within the team in many participating countries.

sport">For example, eight Dutch athletes tested positive for the corona virus upon their return. Athletes in Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy were also found to be infected with the corona virus. In total, it is estimated that about fifty European Championship participants. The European federation, European Athletics, concluded after investigation that the positive cases can be traced back to two hotels in Torun where the teams stayed. “Unfortunately, the investigation also revealed that the strict protocol, which should also have been followed in team hotels, was not always fully respected,” the federation said in a statement.

“The situations in the buses and the long queues also did not meet the guidelines that the organization had drawn up in advance”

sport">However, according to technical director Ad Roskam of the Athletics Union, that is not the only reason for the high number of infections. “We are very sure that some of our ‘infected’ athletes stayed in their rooms on the last night. They did not sit together, ”said Roskam, who previously commented critically on the organisation’s approach. For example, according to Roskam, the bus transport of athletes between the hotel and the sports hall did not go well and long queues arose for a mandatory corona test, where athletes were outside in the cold.

sport">“I understand that European Athletics is looking for a cause and that they come up with it. In the hotel where we stay I saw a lot of athletes sitting together in the hallway or in the room in some places, ”says Roskam. But this is not the only cause. The situations in the buses and the long queues also did not meet the guidelines that the organization had drawn up in advance. I think they have thus only identified part of the cause. ”

sport">The Athletics Union draws lessons from the experiences in Poland in the run-up to the Olympic Games. “If it turns out that next time we have to be confused with various countries on the bus, we will not take the bus, but travel in a different way. It is about the confidence you have in an organization. It all went well in previous competitions and internships abroad. But things didn’t go well here. ”

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