In the lead-up to the Paris Games, we couldnât escape how ânormalâ it was all supposed to be: Media outlets touted the return of cheering spectators in place of empty stadiums, a hyped opening ceremony packed with hundreds of thousands of fans, arrivals of friends and families to help athletes celebrate huge wins (and process tough losses)âand no masks in sight.
All in all, as the Associated Press wrote at the beginning of July, the Paris Games would mark the return to âpost-pandemicâ ânormal,â following âa stretch when host cities turned into closed-off shells of themselves, depriving those who had earned their way inside the so-called Olympic âbubbleâ of a true Olympic experience.â
But as weâre learning as the 2024 Summer Games go on, popping that bubble might have been more than a little prematureâand the athletes could be the ones paying the price.
To be clear, the lack of spectators, family support, and ability to connect with others wasnât easy for the athletes. As fencer Kat Holmes told SELF, the atmosphere was âvery restrictive.â âIn Rio, it was like, âWeâre here together, weâre gonna get to know each other,ââ she said. âIn Tokyo, it was like, âOh my God, donât breathe on me.ââ So we totally get the desire to avoid thatâitâs just that, unfortunately, COVID hasnât gotten the memo.
The strict rules of Tokyo and Beijing didnât exactly make it to Paris.
In Tokyo, the rules for the athletes were strict, so much so that the term âintimacy banâ kept getting thrown around. The reason for the âsafety firstâ policies, according to a 70-page playbook released one month before the 2020 Games (which actually happened in 2021), was to protect all athletes, participants, and the people of Japan from the spread of COVID-19. As such, it detailed policies including mask wearing âat all timesâ (except for sleeping, eating or drinking, training, or competing); avoiding the â3 Câsâ (spaces that are confined, crowded, or involve close contact); testing regularly for COVID-19, whether you were symptomatic or not; and isolating yourself if you do test positive, among others.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images