Covid fears inside the Athletes’ Village, Olympic officials tight-lipped after revoking Russian reporters’ accreditations and why the Italians are not a happy bunch: MIKE KEEGAN’s FRENCH CONNECTIONS
- Team GB’s Adam Peaty tested positive for Covid shortly after winning a medal
- But Olympic organisers continue to claim Covid numbers are ‘quite low in France’
- The Italian Fencing Federation has filed a formal complaint after Filippo Macchi was ‘denied gold’ in the men’s individual foil final against Edgar Cheung
Organizers continue to claim that Covid numbers in France are “quite low.”
However, this is at odds with what is being said from the Athletes’ Village.
Some athletes believe the problem is starting to become a problem.
Swimmer Adam Peaty is Team GB’s most high-profile case so far.
Peaty tested positive for Covid just hours after missing out on the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke by 0.02 seconds.
Team GB swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive for Covid shortly after winning a silver medal
The Olympic and Paris authorities are silent about the reasons for withdrawing the accreditations of four Russian reporters.
They were allowed to enter the country, attend the opening ceremony and attend a number of events before their passes were confiscated.
The Italians are not happy. The country’s fencing federation has filed a formal complaint after Filippo Macchi was “denied gold” in the men’s individual foil, losing 15-14 to Hong Kong’s Edgar Cheung.
The crux of the dispute appears to lie in proximity, as the referee was from Taipei and the video recording was viewed by a South Korean.
Meanwhile, an Italian TV commentator stated on television that the coffee in the press room tasted so bad that it may have been made with “water from the Seine”.
Media hospitality is a joke these days, with those reporting on Tom Pidcock’s mountain bike exploits being given a choice between apples and oranges.
Filippo Macchi (left) and the Italian Fencing Federation were not satisfied with their silver
IOC President Thomas Bach met Palestinian bosses this week amid calls to kick out the Israeli team. “Depending on who you listen to, there are 20 to 30 wars in the world right now,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
“If we listened to the complaints of all the teams, there would be no one here. Politicians can bring peace — our job is to unite athletes.”
The insults continue to rain down on those involved in Friday’s opening ceremony, particularly those in a scene that some saw as a provocative interpretation of the Last Supper.
“The inspiration was mythological,” said Anne Descamps, communications director at Paris, echoing comments made by technical director Thomas Jolly.
“It depicted a pagan festival with the God of Olympus. There was no intentional act… we hope this will put an end to misinterpretations.”