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Russian biathlon athlete Valeria Vasnetsova, who tested positive for Covid-19 when competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, recently complained about getting the same food for every meal for five days in a row, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The 24-year-old took to Instagram to share photos of her meal, which includes plain pasta, sauce, charred meat, and potatoes.
Image via @Byron_Wan/Twitter.
The athlete reportedly said she only ate some of the pasta because the rest of the meal was "impossible" to eat.
She added that her team doctor who was also in quarantine was getting better food than her, as he was served fresh fruit, salad, and prawns with broccoli.
Vasnetsova alleged that Olympians in quarantine were receiving worse food than other personnel who tested positive for Covid-19.
Cried every day
Vasnetsova wrote in her Instagram Stories that her stomach hurt, and she cried every day.
"But today I ate all the fat they serve instead of meat because I was very hungry", she wrote.
Vasnetsova said she lost a lot of weight, and her bones were "already sticking out".
She further said that she wanted "all this to end", adding that she's "very tired".
China's handling of Covid cases under fire
China's quarantine hotels are under fire from athletes and their teams, and they are lobbying for improvements from the organisers, AP reported.
There were also concerns about the transparency of handling Covid cases among athletes, some of whom are forced to quarantine at hotels that their teams do not have access to, while others in similar situations are allowed to isolate themselves within the Olympic village.
According to the rules, athletes who are Covid positive but without symptoms will be sent to a hotel for quarantine, and those who have symptoms will be sent to a hospital.
This group of athletes will not be allowed to compete until they are cleared for discharge.
Vasnetsova's meal was improved
Two days after Vasnetsova's public rant, the spokesperson of Russia's biathlon team -- Sergey Averyanov -- said her meals have been improved, and a stationary bike will be delivered to her room, AP reported.
Averyanov said Vasnetsova's meal now included salmon, cucumbers, sausages, and yoghurt.
He added that the biathlon athlete was "already smiling, and that's the main thing".
German Olympic champion's quarantine conditions "unacceptable"
On Feb. 5, Germany's team chief Dirk Schimmelpfennig blasted the living conditions of the isolation rooms, after German Olympic champion Eric Frenzel was sent to one of the facilities, Reuters reported.
Eric Frenzel in his isolation room. Image via @Davis_VanOpdorp/Twitter.
The German chief said the conditions were "unacceptable", and did not meet standards in terms of cleanliness, quality of food, and WiFi connection.
Schimmelpfennig added that they were in "intensive talks" with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organisers on operational and political levels in order to get improvements for their athletes in quarantine.
Frenzel said he was frustrated as he did everything he could in the past two years to avoid being infected, and it happened right at the moment he was about to compete in the Winter Olympics, according to German media DW.
Belgian athlete also spoke up
In another case, Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans posted a tearful video after she was about to be sent to another quarantine facility on the day she thought she was being released, according to AP.
She was sent back to the athlete's village to isolate herself after she posted the video.
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Top image via Eurosport/Getty Images & @Byron_Wan/Twitter