The Beijing Winter Olympics are being hosted in Beijing, China, and started on February 4, 2022 and will continue till February 20, 2022. The Olympics are under strict regulations that athletes must follow to participate.

Winter Olympic Athletes are under very strict COVID-19 regulations. They have to take tests everyday and are under strict quarantine procedures, many athletes are under immense pressure due to these regulations.

According to USA TODAY a Russian athlete by the name of Valeria Vasnetova, stated in response to the quarantine regulations, “I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day.” Different athletes also stated that they were being fed “inedible meals” and are given very little access to training equipment.

These athletes can only participate in these Olympics once every four years and according to the New York Post “Complaints from athletes and officials are pouring in about the alleged poor living conditions, dining options, isolating rooms, and debilitating weather conditions.” Also according to ESPN, several hundred athletes and stakeholders tested positive for COVID-19 and it seems that athletes aren’t at their maximum energy this Olympic season.

Another Russian athlete Vasnetsova Biathlon had stated, “I’ve lost a lot of weight and my bones are sticking out.” The athlete has complained about her diet that’s being forced on her due to not having anything else to eat, she stated “I only eat three handfuls of pasta a day because it’s just impossible to eat the rest of the food.”

The Olympics unfortunately with all the problems with COVID-19 make athletes face strict quarantine regulations. Worse part is some Olympic athletes aren’t allowed to participate in the games if tested positive, according to the National Public Radio, bobsledder Elena Meyers Taylor was not allowed to participate and had to watch her teammates from the sidelines. COVID-19 has also removed athletes from Ukraine, Germany and Norway out of skating and skiing events.

I think that there could’ve been a better solution for the Olympics such as rescheduling dates for athletes that tested positive so that they could get a chance that only happens once in every four years.