Aussie swimming team suffer NIGHTMARE start to Olympic Games as Emma McKeon and Shayna Jack are crammed onto buses into Paris in ‘chaotic’ scenes
- The Australian Olympic swimming team endured a nightmarish start in Paris
- Swimmers had to sit on the floor of a bus on their way to training
- The team aims to bring home many gold medals in France
It was far from an ideal start to the Australian swimming team’s Olympic journey, with a number of star athletes stuck on an overcrowded bus.
Shayna Jack shared a photo online of several of her teammates sitting on the floor of a bus during their 45-minute journey to training.
People like Emma McKeon and Zac Stubblety-Cook were seen wearing masks in the cramped conditions.
“The bus rides to the pool are packed… 45 minutes to the free pool,” Jack wrote.
‘No air conditioning or windows open.
‘But also lost. Crazy start of the chaos.’
The Aussies are extra vigilant to avoid illness during the two-week surge as five water polo stars have already tested positive for Covid.
Australian chef de mission Anna Meares confirmed on Wednesday that almost half of the 13 women’s squad had tested positive for the virus, a day after two players initially tested positive for the virus.
The Australian swimmers had a difficult start in Paris during a chaotic journey to training
The medal hopefuls begin their campaign on Saturday in Paris against China. Meares said the five athletes will be allowed to train later on Wednesday if they feel well enough.
“It’s limited to the water polo team,” she said, adding that the entire women’s team had been tested.
‘There will be training again this afternoon and if those five athletes feel well enough to train, then they will do so.’
She said they would wear masks, isolate themselves and avoid visiting busy parts of the village.
The Australian team has its own medical testing equipment for diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza.
“We don’t treat COVID any differently than any other respiratory illness, but we want to make sure our protocols work,” she said.
She said such concerns are “an integral part of every Olympic Games.”
The French government and the World Health Organization (WHO) have said there has been only a moderate increase in the number of COVID cases in the country.
“There is no major risk of a cluster,” Health Minister Frederic Valletoux told broadcaster franceinfo.
“Of course COVID is here. We’ve seen a little bit of a spike (in cases), but we’re far from what we saw in 2020, 2021, 2022.”