Athletics: Norovirus makes these 'no ordinary world championships'
The outbreak of a stomach virus at the IAAF World Championships in London has officials scrambling to contain it. The German team and delegation are among those taking great pains to try to prevent it from spreading.
Germany's athletics team and staff have been among the hardest hit by the outbreak of the stomach virus at the world athletics championships in London, however, their medical staff on Thursday said the worst may be over. "We have no new case," Dr. Andrew Lichtenthal told the DPA news agency. He added that only one German athlete remained in quarantine - of a total of seven athletes and six support staff who have been infected by what appears to be the norovirus, although only two cases have been confirmed in London. The outbreak has caused the delegation to go to extraordinary lengths to try to contain the outbreak at a track meet that has become "no ordinary world championships," as the German athletics federation's (DLV) head coach, Idriss Gonschinska, put it. For one thing, German athletes and staff arriving after the outbreak are being put up at different hotels from the one near London's Tower Bridge, where it was detected. These include a couple of Germany's biggest medal hopes, javelin throwers Johannes Vetter and Thomas Röhler. At the same time, the hygienic measures in place at the main team hotel have been stepped up. Limited personal contact Speaking to German public broadcaster ARD, Gonschinska said that due to how contagious the virus is, everything possible was being done to limit physical personal contact between members of the team and staff. Athletes and staff have been told to avoid contact with their counterparts from other hotels, where the virus may or may not be present. "Then the next step was to ban all treatment except for emergencies, because we know that any personal contact raises the risk of infection," Gonschinska said. "Physiotherapy is only being given in the case of emergencies, so de facto it isn't happening" Telephone, Skype, Whatsapp He also said that the coaches are primarily communicating with each other and the athletes through electronic media - and that they hadn't and wouldn't hold any team meetings, as they normally would. There will be no joint training, including between members of the relay teams. "I will be just happy if we can get a relay team to the starting line," Gonschinska said. The athletes have also been instructed to wash their hands regularly and avoid hugging each other or even shaking hands. Eating fruit that is left out for them at the facilities is also a no-go area. As Rebekka Haase put it after her heat in the 200-meter dash:"We are only allowed to high-fives with our elbows." "This wasn't the sort of situation we had expected when we were on our way to London, but this applies to the other teams as well," Gonshinska concluded.
IAAF World Championships
IAAF_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2015_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2017_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2003_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2005_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2009_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2007_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2013_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2011_World_Championships_in_Athletics 2001_World_Championships_in_Athletics 1997_World_Championships_in_Athletics 1999_World_Championships_in_Athletics List_of_World_Championships_in_Athletics_records 1995_World_Championships_in_Athletics_–_Men's_hammer_throw IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships 2013_World_Championships_in_Athletics_–_Men's_1500_metres
London
London London,_Ontario London_GAA London_Cricket_Club Greater_London London_Records London_Stadium London_(European_Parliament_constituency) County_of_London City_of_London University_of_London West_End_theatre London,_Kentucky Bishop_of_London London_(electoral_district) London,_Ohio
German
Germany
Germany Germany_national_football_team Nazi_Germany German_Empire Germany_women's_national_football_team Weimar_Republic German_Football_Association ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Germany GfK_Entertainment_Charts Germany_national_youth_football_team A1_Team_Germany Germany_national_rugby_union_team Kingdom_of_Germany German_literature Germany_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Same-sex_marriage_in_Germany
London
London London,_Ontario London_GAA London_Cricket_Club Greater_London London_Records London_Stadium London_(European_Parliament_constituency) County_of_London City_of_London University_of_London West_End_theatre London,_Kentucky Bishop_of_London London_(electoral_district) London,_Ohio
Thursday
Dr.
Andrew Lichtenthal
DPA
Deutsche_Presse-Agentur Democratic_Party_of_Albanians DPA_Microphones Doctor_of_Public_Administration Democratic_Party_of_Albania Democratic_Party_of_Artsakh United_Nations_Department_of_Political_Affairs Drug_Policy_Alliance Democratic_Progressive_Alliance National_data_protection_authority Defence_Procurement_Agency Dayton_Agreement DPA Docosapentaenoic_acid 9,10-Diphenylanthracene Hexanitrodiphenylamine
German
London
London London,_Ontario London_GAA London_Cricket_Club Greater_London London_Records London_Stadium London_(European_Parliament_constituency) County_of_London City_of_London University_of_London West_End_theatre London,_Kentucky Bishop_of_London London_(electoral_district) London,_Ohio
German athletics federation
DLV
DLV German_Athletics_Association Roman_numerals
head coach
Idriss Gonschinska
German
London
London London,_Ontario London_GAA London_Cricket_Club Greater_London London_Records London_Stadium London_(European_Parliament_constituency) County_of_London City_of_London University_of_London West_End_theatre London,_Kentucky Bishop_of_London London_(electoral_district) London,_Ohio
Tower Bridge
Tower_Bridge Tower_Bridge_(California) Tower_Millennium_Pier
Germany
Germany Germany_national_football_team Nazi_Germany German_Empire Germany_women's_national_football_team Weimar_Republic German_Football_Association ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Germany GfK_Entertainment_Charts Germany_national_youth_football_team A1_Team_Germany Germany_national_rugby_union_team Kingdom_of_Germany German_literature Germany_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Same-sex_marriage_in_Germany
javelin throwers
Johannes Vetter
Johannes_Vetter
Thomas Röhler
Thomas_Röhler
German
public broadcaster
ARD
ARD_(broadcaster) Das_Erste Omiya_Ardija Ard_(plough) Ards_F.C. Right_Romania_Alliance Atmospheric_Reentry_Demonstrator Alliance_for_Restoration_of_Democracy Ardley_United_F.C. Manchester_City_F.C. Democratic_Republican_Alliance Ashi Ard,_Arkansas Hessischer_Rundfunk Republican_Alliance_for_Democracy ARD_International_Music_Competition
Gonschinska
Gonschinska
Gonschinska
Rebekka Haase
Rebekka_Haase
Gonshinska
IAAF World Championships
IAAF_World_Championships_in_Athletics
iptc::15000000 slot::keyword sport::20000827 sport_event::20001123 topic::sport type::competition type::entity type::event type::sport_competition
German athletics federation
German_Athletics_Association
iptc::15000000 slot::keyword sport::20000827 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_org
Idriss Gonschinska
wikidata:Q15793992
gender::male iptc::15000000 slot::keyword sport::20000827 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_coach
London
London
slot::in slot::keyword topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe2 type::location
German
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
Germany
Germany
topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe0 type::location
Thursday
topic::none type::time type::value
Dr.
topic::none type::role type::value
Andrew Lichtenthal
gender::male meta::todo topic::none type::entity type::person
DPA
Deutsche_Presse-Agentur
topic::media type::entity type::media type::organization
head coach
topic::none type::role type::value
Tower Bridge
Tower_Bridge
type::entity type::facility type::location
javelin throwers
topic::none type::role type::value
Johannes Vetter
Johannes_Vetter
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20000835 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Thomas Röhler
Thomas_Röhler
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20000835 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
public broadcaster
topic::none type::role type::value
ARD
ARD_(broadcaster)
topic::media type::entity type::media type::organization
Rebekka Haase
Rebekka_Haase
gender::female iptc::15000000 sport::20000844 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
United_Kingdom
slot::in