Australian skier Katie Parker tests positive for COVID-19 on arrival at Olympic Winter Games

Katie Parker’s nightmare has become a reality after she tested positive to COVID-19 upon arriving in Beijing for the Olympic Winter Games.

The Australian alpine skier, who contracted the virus last month, could not be allowed to compete in the slalom event on Wednesday due to the result.

The 23-year-old, who was forced to miss the giant slalom on Monday, had returned multiple negative results before travelling to China from her Utah base earlier this week.

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However, due to the increased sensitivity of the testing being used by authorities and the International Olympic Committee, Ms Parker tested positive upon arrival at Beijing airport on Tuesday.

She has been placed into isolation in a hotel room in Zhangjiakou and is anxiously awaiting the results of further tests to prove that she is not infectious.

Those results will be known Wednesday morning, just hours before she is due to compete.

Australian Olympic Committee Chef de Mission Geoff Lipshut said in a statement that the skier “has always understood this was a possibility.”

“We are doing all we can to give her the opportunity to compete tomorrow but there’s a process to go through. We are still hopeful,” he wrote.

“She is attempting to make her Olympic debut and she has earned her place on the Team.”

If Parker’s second test returns as positive, she will miss the Olympics and remain in an isolation facility until she is able to return two negative tests 24 hours apart.

“That is the unfortunate reality. It is a risk she understood before travel,” Mr Lipshut added.

“We will be doing everything in our power to ensure that Katie receives all the support and care possible, whatever the outcome.

Ms Parker is one of more than 400 Olympic participants who have tested positive and put in some form of isolation or restrictions since last month.

The positive cases are picked up in arrival screenings and daily tests – a key pillar of Beijing’s Olympic’s bubble.

The bubble completely cordons off the more than 10,000 athletes, media, and other participants joining from around the world in a “closed-loop” system, where they live, eat, work and travel between Olympic venues some 180 kilometres apart, all without coming into contact with people or areas in the capital city outside.

The ambitious scheme, run by thousands of Chinese volunteers and staff, is meant to minimise the spread of COVID-19 inside the Games and prevent it from spilling into the capital city.

Its rigorous testing regimes and isolation requirements for positive cases are also meant to ensure any infections that do enter the bubble are picked up quickly, before they can cause an outbreak and disrupt the Games.

Watch the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics live and free in Australia on Seven and 7plus, with coverage from 12pm AEDT on weekdays and 10am AEDT on weekends.

7plus is your Olympic Winter Games streaming destination, with up to 20 channels covering more sport live and on demand. Head to the 7plus website or download the app on your phone, tablet or Smart TV to get started.

Australian skier Katie Parker tests positive for COVID-19 on arrival at Olympic Winter Games
Independent Information