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'I cry every day': Olympic athletes slam food, COVID tests and conditions in Beijing quarantine hotels

BEIJING – "My heart can't take it," emotionally crushed Polish speedskater Natalia Maliszewska wrote in an Instagram post.

"I'm very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day," said Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova on the same platform. "Unreasonable," complained Dirk Schimmelpfennig, the head of the German delegation in an interview with his nation's media.

All three were speaking out about the conditions they faced or observed in quarantine hotels in China used by athletes who test positive while at the 2022 Winter Olympic s. They described "inedible meals," little or no access to training equipment and a confusing and at times seemingly illogical COVID-19 testing regime.