Athletes who shake hands ‘might pick up bugs instead of medals’

British athletes are being told not to shake hands in case they catch a bug which wrecks their Olympic dreams.

A mild bug which can knock athletes off their stride could be picked up in the “quite stressful environment” of the Games, according to Dr Ian McCurdie, the British Olympic Association (BOA) chief medical officer.

It could hamper an athletes’ chances of performing at their best, he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

On whether this means shaking hands should be off-limits, he said: “I think, within reason, yes.

“I think that is not such a bad thing to advise. The difficulty is when you have got some reception and you have got a line of about 20 people you have never met before who you have got to shake hands with.

“Within reason if you do and have to shake hands with people, so long as you understand that regular handwashing and/or also using hand foam can help reduce the risk – that would be a good point.”

The advice is part of a detailed package of health and resilience tips for the 550-strong team of athletes and 450 support staff who will work with them. They include regular handwashing and use of a special protective hand foam as an extra barrier.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The BOA has declared it intends to send a best-prepared team to London 2012. Everything from allergy screening through to warning athletes that any symptoms should be reported early has been noted.

Dr McCurdie said: “Almost certainly, I believe, the greatest threat to performance is illness and possibly injury.

“At an Olympic Games or any major event the performance impact of becoming ill or even feeling a little bit ill can be significant.

“Essentially we are talking about minimising risk of illness and optimising resistance. Minimising exposure and getting bugs into the system and being more robust to manage those should that happen. Hand hygiene is it. It is all about hand hygiene.”

Comment: Page 12