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Lyles competes in Olympics despite having COVID
Lyles kept the news of his diagnosis in a tight circle; his family, medical staff, and coach knew, he said after the race. “We didn't want everybody to go into a panic,” he said. “We wanted to be able to make it as discreet as possible. You never want to tell your competitors you're sick. Why would you give them an edge over you?”
In a statement, the sport’s governing body USA Track & Field (USATF) said that it and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) stood by Lyles’ decision to compete. “Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete,” USATF said in a statement. “After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely. As an organization, we are rigorously adhering to CDC, USOPC, and IOC guidelines for respiratory illnesses to prevent the spread of illness among team members, safeguarding their health and performance.”
![time.com](/forums/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.time.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F08%2Flyles-olympics-covid.jpg%3Fquality%3D85%26w%3D1200%26h%3D628%26crop%3D1&hash=e54358ebfee1e7a182d8d26ca396402b&return_error=1)
Lyles kept the news of his diagnosis in a tight circle; his family, medical staff, and coach knew, he said after the race. “We didn't want everybody to go into a panic,” he said. “We wanted to be able to make it as discreet as possible. You never want to tell your competitors you're sick. Why would you give them an edge over you?”
In a statement, the sport’s governing body USA Track & Field (USATF) said that it and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) stood by Lyles’ decision to compete. “Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete,” USATF said in a statement. “After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely. As an organization, we are rigorously adhering to CDC, USOPC, and IOC guidelines for respiratory illnesses to prevent the spread of illness among team members, safeguarding their health and performance.”