The Australian Olympic Committee has slammed the decision of the South Australian Government to force returning athletes into a further 14 days of quarantine.
Olympians who have returned home from Tokyo, like all Australian international arrivals, have undergone 14 days of hotel quarantine.
However, those athletes in isolation in Sydney, who wish to return to South Australia, will then need to quarantine for a further 14 days, under a ruling made by the local government.
This effectively means they will have been in isolation for 28 days. No other state has taken these measures.
The AOC released a statement on Wednesday afternoon lambasting the decision, saying it will severely impact the mental health of athletes.
Veteran sports broadcaster Stephen Quartermain took to twitter labelling the situation “a disgrace”.
He wasn’t alone in voicing his frustration on Twitter. Olympic broadcaster David Culbert added: “We have lost the plot as a nation”.
Read the statement from the AOC below:
The fully vaccinated Australian Olympic Team has returned home and is currently undergoing the mandatory quarantine arrangements at hotels and facilities around Australia, as any other Australian is required to do. No special treatment has been sought.
However, the South Australian Government has chosen to impose a further mandatory quarantine period when South Australian athletes return from hotel quarantine in Sydney, effectively inflicting a 28 (day) quarantine period for athletes at a time of mental and emotional vulnerability.
South Australia is the only state to do this. There are 56 team members returning to South Australia with 16 currently quarantined in Sydney.
AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll says the decision flies in the face of the expert medical advice of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Chief Medical Officer Dr David Hughes that the mental health of athletes can be severely challenged after returning from a highly constrained Tokyo Games environment into the further isolation of extended lockdown.
"While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes, we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment. They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games," said Mr Carroll.
"We are all promoting the obvious benefits of vaccination, but this important layer of protection is not working in favour of these athletes, given this decision. By any measure, this group of returning Olympians is extremely low risk.
"Not only are our Olympians fully vaccinated, but they have also been living in a highly controlled bubble in Tokyo, taking the upmost precautions – tested daily over many weeks.”
The response online has been savage
This is a disgrace.
— Stephen Quartermain (@Quartermain10) August 11, 2021
Lift your game South Australia. https://t.co/bENvCNYqFP
Such a shame the South Australian Olympians aren’t AFL players. All would be ok then.
— David Culbert (@Culbert_Report) August 11, 2021
We have lost the plot as a nation. https://t.co/mBpb1GwMMh
What a time to be Australian. https://t.co/DsHkFyiFQ2
— Jarryd Felton (@JarrydFelton) August 11, 2021
From the Chief Health Officer who brought you 'dodge the ball'. https://t.co/T4IrhpR1fo
— Brent Ford (@BrentFord26) August 11, 2021
Thanks for representing our country at the Olympic Games, here’s a double-dose of quarantine when you return home. https://t.co/uR8zG3f2mL
— Michael Hutchinson (@xLurch) August 11, 2021
Other states are looking to do this too. Forcing citizens to quarantine twice is cruel and unnecessary. https://t.co/UjP7vDOO2b
— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) August 11, 2021
Australia…. we have a problem.
— Catherine Murphy (@CathMurphySport) August 11, 2021
And it’s not Covid. 😳😳😳 https://t.co/C9AgblxR1c
this is crazy. absolutely crazy. these athletes would have been tested every 10 minutes in Tokyo. https://t.co/d9H77gxNuS
— Vince Rugari (@VinceRugari) August 11, 2021
