Dutch Decry 'unacceptable' Olympic Quarantine Conditions

The Hague, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2021 ) :The Dutch Olympics federation will meet the International Olympics Committee to discuss "unacceptable" quarantine conditions for its athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus, a top Dutch official said Tuesday.

Six Olympic team members, three among the Dutch rowing squad, have tested positive and are currently in isolation "under very poor conditions," NOC*NSF, technical director Maurits Hendriks said.

"These people have already lost their Olympic dream... and are now pushed into a worse situation," Hendriks told a press conference in Tokyo.

"We will raise this with the IOC on the highest level and have also asked our ambassador to raise this in Japan," he said.

Hendriks said the NOC*NSF have received no reply from Olympic authorities ahead of the games about quarantine protocols "and if you see where they are now, it's completely unacceptable.

" "The most important thing is that at no point they're allowed to see daylight, or even get a breath of fresh air. They have to remain inside and there's a problem with the food... and small spaces," Hendriks said.

The Dutch team meanwhile have beefed up its anti-corona measures, the NOS public broadcaster said.

This included closing a communal area, having to book training facilities on demand and the Dutch rowing team have been given their own training space, officials said.

This comes after several incidents where other teams have shunned the Dutch olympians because of the outbreak.

A large part of the Dutch team flew from Amsterdam to Tokyo on a scheduled KLM flight on June 17 and five of those passengers tested positive after arrival.

But "it is very difficult to prove that the infections happened on the flight," Hendriks said.