Olympians Are Getting A Tough First Look At What Happens When They Test Positive In Beijing

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are officially underway, and COVID-19 is already starting to crash the party.

Several foreign athletes have already tested positive for the virus after arriving in China, and it sounds like they're having a tough time with the country's rigid response plan.

According to the official playbook provided to athletes, those who test positive will be taken to an isolation hotel or hospital and kept inside until they have no symptoms. If they have had no symptoms for three days and two PCR tests come back negative after a 24-hour gap, they are permitted to return to the Games.

Athletes who are asymptomatic will be isolated and tested every 24 hours. If they get two negative tests, they're good to go back and compete.

It's a tough timeline that could spoil a few Olympic dreams, and those who've tested positive say the protocols are no joke.

Elena Meyers Taylor, a star bobsledder for Team USA, tested positive when she got to Beijing. She shared the news on her Instagram, but stayed optimistic that she would be able to still compete.

"This is just the latest obstacle that my family and I have faced on this journey, so I'm remaining optimistic that I'll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete," wrote Taylor.

However, she'll have to get past the virus and test negative early next week before she'll be allowed to slide.

Kim Meylemans, a skeleton competitor from Belgium, was also among those who tested positive when she arrived in Beijing. Having previously had COVID, as a precaution, Meylemans took 12 PCR tests during the two weeks leading up to the Games. She was shocked when she found out she tested positive.

Meylemans says she was isolated for three days and tested negative, but when she thought she was being transported back to the Olympic Athletes' Village, she was instead taken to a government-run facility. Meylemans shared an emotional video on her Instagram, not knowing if she would be able to compete.

"This is very hard for me. I ask you all to give me some time to consider my next steps because I am not sure I can handle 14 more days and the Olympic competition while being in this isolation," said Meylemans in her video.

China is taking a strict "zero COVID" approach to these Games, with lots of testing and isolation rules in place to ensure that there are no major outbreaks.

Athletes have been told to limit interaction with each other outside of competition — especially in the Athletes' Village, where Olympians are known to do a lot more than hang out together on their off days.