'Closed loop' Olympians celebrate unusual Valentine's Day at Beijing Games

YANQING, China : Valentine's Day is normally about personally delivered romantic gestures and passionate kisses but Olympians at the "closed-loop" Beijing Games have had to be creative to express their feelings of love in a restricted environment.

The thousands of athletes, staff and media who entered the COVID-19 protected bubble for the Olympics are expected to adhere to constant mask-wearing and social distancing as they are completely cut off from the outside world.

For Austrian snowboarders Sabine Schoeffmann, 29, and her partner Alexander Payer, 32, the compulsory daily testing for the virus has led to their second heartbreak Olympics.

After Schoeffmann missed the 2018 Pyeongchang Games due to injury, she returned a positive coronavirus test in Beijing and could not take part in her event. Payer had to spend the second Olympics in a row on his own as he competed and then went home.

"I most look forward to human touch when I get home," Schoeffmann said ahead of her Valentine's Day flight from Beijing to Milan, where Payer will pick her up after driving five hours from Austria.

Waiting for the second negative COVID-19 test to release her from the isolation hotel was "nerve wrecking", she added.

"Then somebody knocked on the door and the volunteer in charge of my case stood there in a white hazmat suit and told me I should get ready, the car is coming," Schoeffmann said.

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

The events on ice at the Beijing Olympics are also positively teeming with couples.

Tim Koleto, 30-year-old American-born Japanese ice dancer who competed at the Olympics with his wife Misato Komatsubara, 29, said he bought some flowers to celebrate the holiday. "Luckily there is a florist here" in the "closed loop", said Koleto.

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