Australian athlete tests positive in Beijing

A member of the Australian Winter Olympic team has been caught out by China’s paranoid Covid testing procedures.

The Australian Winter Olympics team’s chef de mission Geoff Lipshut

A member of the Australian Winter Olympic team has been caught out by China’s paranoid Covid testing procedures after returning a positive sample on arrival at Beijing International Airport.

Australian team officials have not yet named the athlete because more tests have been ordered, but have confirmed the individual arrived in China late on Saturday night and the positive result was from a PCR sample taken straight after landing.

“We have had an arrival in the last 24 hours and we have had a positive test at the airport,” the Australian team chef de mission Geoff Lipshut said.

“I can’t share the team member’s name right now, but we are following the process including required permission to share the medical information of the individual This is a concern but it is only the first test.”

China’s heavy-handed approach to stop the spread of Covid has come under fire because they are using ultra-sensitive equipment that can detect tiny traces of old infections in foreign athletes.

This has led to a spike in case numbers that have already ruined the Olympic dreams of some athletes, though it remains uncertain whether the unlucky Australian who tested positive will be banned from competing.

Australian team doctor Peter Braun said that would depend on whether the positive test came from a fresh infection or remnants from a previous contagion that the Chinese airport swabs pick up.

“It’s not uncommon that viral fragments are picked up in the airport and then subsequent confirmatory of additional tests proves negative,” he said.

“That’s what we’re hoping will be the situation but we’re going to wait and see how these tests evolve.”

Braun said no other team members were regarded as close contacts and the individual who tested positive was placed straight into isolation, pending further test results.

“If either of the confirmatory or additional tests are positive it’s possible that person can’t fulfil their role.

“The team member fully understands what the situation is and what the process is, and they are quite happy and comfortable just to ride it out and see what the answer is.

“There’s no stress about this. It’s not an unexpected situation so everyone’s prepared.”

Although Australian team bosses don’t fear for the health of team members because everyone has already been vaccinated at least twice, officials issued a chilling warning to athletes last month that they could be kicked out of the Games simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“We obviously hope it won’t happen but there’s a high chance it could,” AOC chief executive Matt Carroll told News Corp.

To minimise the risk of infection, members of the Australian team have been arriving in China at staggered times, depending on when their sports start.

Only 12 Aussie athletes have touched down so far, with the majority expected to arrive in the days leading up to Friday’s opening ceremony.

Australia’s first scheduled competition events are in mixed curling, which starts on Wednesday,

In another devastating blow for the Australian team, alpine skier Madi Hoffman — who had been selected for her Olympic debut — has already been ruled out of the Games after injuring her knee while competing in the US last week.

“I guess this is how my cookie crumbles,” the 21-year-old Hoffman said on her Instagram page.

“I tore my ACL racing the Utah Invitational after getting named to the Olympic team.

“The universe just gave me a pretty big kick in the gut but alas, ski racing I will see you soon.”

Hoffman’s withdrawal reduces the overall size of the Australian team to at least 43, but could be reduced by one, or maybe more, depending on the next results from the athlete who tested positive.

Lipshut said it was too late to replace Hoffman, so Greta Small, Katie Parker and Louis Muhlen-Schulte would fly the Australian flag in alpine skiing.

“Madi had been having a fantastic season and earned her Olympic selection. She is a great alpine talent and this isn’t the end of her Olympic story,” Lipshut said.

“I know this is a devastating moment for any young athlete, but Madi has the strength and support network to come back from this ahead of Milan Cortina 2026.”