Is COVID set to derail Paris 2024? Aussie swimmer pulls out of event following positive test

The Australian swimming team was dealt a huge blow after Lani Pallister, a gold medal hopeful in the 1500m freestyle, was ruled out of the competition following a positive COVID test.

The Australian Olympic Committee announced the news that Lani Pallister had pulled out of the event following her COVID test results just an hour before her anticipated heat swim on Tuesday.

Pallister earned a bronze medal in the long-distance event at the 2022 World Championships and was a favorite to win the event in Paris.

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Her COVID result has raised concerns that there may be something in the water here, figuratively speaking, coming less than a day after British swim star Adam Peaty tested positive on Monday following his silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.

It also follows as several members of the Australian women’s water polo team, the Stingers, tested positive for the virus on the eve of the Games.

What sort of impact will this have on the ongoing competition? Well, as far as Australia’s Chef de mission Anna Meares is concerned, it’s more or less business as usual.

"This is a high-performance environment, so we are being diligent," Meares said at a press conference in the lead up to the games, as reported by the Guardian. "But I need to emphasise we’re treating Covid no differently to other bugs like the flu – this is not Tokyo," she said, referencing the strict protocols in place at the 2020 games.

The Australian swim team have reportedly taken a precautionary approach, which includes, wearing masks in crowded environments, and it is not believed Pallister’s positive test will lead to significant protocol changes within the Australian team.

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It certainly seems as though it's not treated as seriously by the Australian team, as Pallister is, at this stage, merely 'saving her energy' in the hopes of claiming gold in Australia's 4x200m freestyle relay on Thursday – an event they are favorites to win. 

Perhaps surprisingly, there are currently no COVID guidelines at the officiating level. "For the moment, nothing official has been implemented by the organizing committee," André-Pierre Goubert, director of the Olympic and High-Performance Sport Center at the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), told the French newspaper Le Monde.

"We have recommended that delegations use their own medical teams to test their athletes before they reach the Olympic Village."

It seems athletes are all clear to compete, even if they are suffering from covid symptons. But what does it mean for their performance? COVID can significantly affect the respiratory system, so it’s hard to imagine athletes performing at their best with the virus.

The virus is also highly contagious and can spread easily with minimal contact. Given the close quarters of the athletes, it’s likely the virus will continue to spread among the athletes as the weeks go on.

What impact all this will have on the competition remains to be seen, but with the Games already being home to the slowest swimming events the Olympics has seen in modern history, it hardly spells good news for Paris 2024.

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