By Winni Zhou and Mari Saito
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Switzerland snowboarder Patrizia Kummer’s trip to the Beijing Olympics was probably longer than most athletes given the fact that she spent an extra 21 days in quarantine as she is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Kummer, who took part in Tuesday’s women’s parallel giant slalom competition and came 14th, said she was quite happy with the quarantine, complimenting the staff at her accommodation, who gave her gifts for the Lunar New Year.
The Sochi gold medallist said she chose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the Games.
“Getting the vaccine wasn’t the best for me, so my best thing that I could give was going through this 21 days and I did that and I’m happy with it,” the 34-year-old said after Tuesday’s qualification race.
“The people are so nice, so friendly, that helped me a lot during quarantine,” Kummer added, saying she was probably an easygoing resident compared to other athletes.
Several athletes in quarantine have expressed frustration at the accommodation and complained about the lack of food.
The Games has a “closed loop” to separate participants, including athletes, staff members, media and other stakeholders, from the general public to lower the risk of virus spread.
Those who are not fully vaccinated must spend three weeks in quarantine https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/beijing-games-only-with-spectators-mainland-china-ioc-2021-09-29 when arriving in the Chinese capital.
(Reporting by Winni Zhou and Mari Saito; Editing by Ken Ferris)
