Olympic Sickness

Norovirus Outbreak Reaches the First Olympic Athletes In Pyeongchang

Two Swiss skiers are the first unlucky athletes to be affected.

Imagine training your entire life, meticulously honing your body and your skills, dreaming of competing in the Olympics—only to spend the whole time in the bathroom when you get there. That’s what’s happened to two Swiss skiers who are the first athletes to be struck down by the highly contagious norovirus that’s been swirling around the Games in South Korea. More than 200 people have contracted the virus—which causes bouts of vomiting and diarrhea—but until now that was contained to security and backroom staff. The International Olympic Committee confirmed the two skiers were “unwell” but that there’s hope they could recover in time to compete. One of the two, Fabian Boesch, went viral (in the other sense) earlier in the Games for this cool escalator trick.