Australian Olympic athlete tests positive for COVID-19, alpine skier ruled out of Games with knee injury

Australia's Winter Olympics team have been hit by a positive COVID-19 test while alpine skier Madi Hoffman will miss the Games after suffering a serious knee injury.

The Australian Olympic Committee confirmed on Sunday that an unidentified athlete was isolating after testing positive on arrival at Beijing airport and was awaiting a second test.

The Australian team have been arriving in Beijing from their northern hemisphere training and competition locations at staggered times ahead of the Games opening ceremony on Friday night.

«We have had an arrival in the last 24 hours and we have had a positive test at the airport,» said Australian team chef de mission Geoff Lipshut from Beijing.

«I can't share the team member's name right now but we are following the process including required permission to share the medical information of the individual.

»This is a concern but it is only the first test."

If the confirmatory test is also positive the athlete must move to an isolation facility, or hospital if symptomatic, but will still be able to compete if out of isolation in time.

The second test will determine whether the positive test came from a new infection or viral fragments remaining from a previous infection.

Beijing Games organisers announced 34 new COVID-19 cases were detected among Games-related personnel on Saturday. Of those, 13 were athletes or team officials who tested positive after arriving at the airport.

Of the total infections, 23 were among new airport arrivals, while 11 were people already in the «closed loop» bubble that separates event personnel from the public.

Meanwhile, Hoffman has vowed to fight back after the heartbreak of being ruled out due to an ACL injury incurred when competing in the US just days out from