Winter Olympics: Australian curlers out after positive Covid-19 test in Beijing

Australia's first curling Olympians Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt are going home after Gill tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time.

Gill, 22, tested positive on arrival in Beijing but was cleared to compete after she produced two negative tests.

However, she returned a series of positive tests late on Saturday and has been placed in isolation.

They played British pair Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds in the mixed doubles competition on Friday.

Team GB said it had confidence in the protocols in place with daily tests for all competitors.

Gill and Hewitt were winless but four of their seven defeats came in closely-fought contests by a single-point margin, including pushing the British pair to an extra end.

«We made the case that Tahli was at the end of the infection cycle but further positive results early this morning ended our hopes,» Australia's Chef de Mission Geoff Lipshut said.

«Rather than remain in isolation, we now have the option of returning Tahli and Dean home. They have been absolutely magnificent in the face of difficulty.»