- The contagious norovirus bug that has hit 200 people at the 2018 Winter Olympics has now spread to athletes.
- Two Swiss freestyle skiers have been affected by the vomiting and diarrhea virus — and one of them is internet famous.
- Fabian Boesch, who achieved viral fame for riding an esclator handrail this week, has been taken away from the rest of the Swiss team while he recovers from the illness.
Two Swiss skiers are the first athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics to have been struck down by the highly contagious norovirus bug.
The stomach-churning virus causes vomiting, diarrhea, and lasts for a few days. It is commonly called a winter vomiting bug but it can be caught at any time of the year.
Norovirus had already affected 128 officials before the games had even begun last week. At one point, approximately 1,200 Winter Olympics workers had to be quarantined in their rooms.
Now, it has spread to the athletes.
Fabian Boesch, the Swiss freestyle skier who achieved internet fame for his escalator trick on Instagram, is one of the athletes to have come down with the virus.
An unnamed teammate has reportedly also caught the bug.
“Everyone else is safe,” a Swiss team spokesperson told Reuters. “We did everything we could. We took them away from the rest of the team and now they have to recover.”
A statement from the Swiss Olympics team added: “They were taken to a single room and had no contact with the other athletes.”
Providing the athletes are in “good physical health,” they will still be permitted to compete, but Boesch and his teammate will have to pass a test conducted by the Swiss medical team. The International Olympic Committee will also have to be “consulted” on progress.
There are now reportedly over 200 confirmed cases of norovirus at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The freestyle competition that Boesch had been competing in started on February 9 and will conclude on February 23.
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