“No Olympic athletes are going to get Long Covid! It’s been 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has Long Covid!”

Yes. You do. Many people don’t disclose their disabilities for fear of ableist backlash. Others don’t connect the dots and may not realize they have Long Covid.

The sad reality is that like many other chronic illnesses - Long Covid is poorly recognized and likely underdiagnosed. Many patients are dismissed with “anxiety” by doctors who don’t understand the nature of these conditions.

Others can’t afford to seek healthcare as they’ve already lost work/income due to being chronically ill. Some may not have safe access to healthcare due to lack of masking and clean air in hospitals. They KNOW they’re sick but can’t risk re-infection.

There’s also people who are suffering from Long Covid and don’t realize it. They either can’t connect the dots (due to denial or lack of information) or they’ve convinced themselves it’s just “aging” or “stress”.

It’s alarming how many people in their 20s & 30s are writing off very serious physical symptoms as “getting older.” You shouldn’t be too exhausted to function in your twenties. Everything shouldn’t hurt. You should be able to smell your food. You shouldn’t be sick all the time.

Then there’s those who know they have Long Covid - but choose to keep it quiet from friends and family. Ableism runs incredibly deep in our society - and when you admit to being chronically ill you may find yourself judged, ridiculed, disbelieved or abandoned.

Many chronic illnesses are invisible - you won’t KNOW someone has them unless they CHOOSE to tell you. Ppl in my life had no idea I was disabled until I began advocating for disability rights. I could hide symptoms well enough to not tip them off & I didn’t volunteer the info.

Looking back I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to publicly admit I was disabled. The fear I had about sharing it is an indictment of how cruel people can be. Everyone preaches tolerance & acceptance - but few actually practice that in real life.

There’s also an extra stigma associated with Long Covid because it forces people to think about a period in their lives they’re desperately trying to forget. It challenges the narrative that we’re “back to normal”.

I lost many friends and loved ones when they found out I was sick. Some losses were immediate and brutal - people who carelessly tossed me by the wayside because they instantly put me into the “less than” category.

Other losses were slower and more painful - because they involved false hope. They were the ones who stuck around at first - who applauded me for telling them the truth & offered help and support.

Many did help - until they stopped. They almost all stop eventually. 1/2

There's no point in people moaning about #breakdancing being in the #Olympics

It's like that

And that's the way it is

she was disqualified for a "political" display hidden in her clothing that she revealed in competition

#ManizhaTalash

an Afghan #breaker on the #IOC #Refugee Team, residing in #Spain

there are things far more important than an #Olympic #medal

and Manizha chose right

story about her from before her display:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9x8dj81r73o

Imani Barbarin gets right to the heart of the issue of Olympians competing while Covid positive:

“Once again this is a story of Americans celebrating someone overcoming a systemic failure - Covid IS a systemic failure from the top down.”

Couldn’t agree more. This is not an inspirational moment. His life & career were put at risk when he raced. The health of other athletes, medics, volunteers etc was also put at risk.

Normalize resting when sick!

https://www.tiktok.com/@crutches_and_spice

2

Literally the *only* story I'm going to share about the goddamn Olympics:

U.S. Rugby player Ariana Ramsey found out athletes get free healthcare in the Olympic Village and immediately booked a bunch of appointments for routine services many Americans living under our dystopian private healthcare regime simply can't afford:

https://www.si.com/olympics/american-athletes-taking-full-advantage-of-free-healthcare-olympic-village-france

"Like, what?” she said in a post on TikTok describing her new discovery: The Olympic Village offers free healthcare.

The United States, of course, does not. So in the days following her victory, Ramsey made appointments with the Village gynecologist, dentist and ophthalmologist. According to the Paris 2024 organizing committee, the Village also offers cardiology, orthopedics, physiotherapy, psychology, podiatry and, of course, sports medicine—all at no cost to the athletes. (Paralympic athletes will also have access to dermatology.)"

The best part of the story is that Ramsey not only convinced a bunch of other U.S. Athletes to take advantage of the program, but after realizing how beneficial having access to free healthcare is, she's decided to become an advocate for Universal Healthcare in America.

On a personal level and as someone who has spent time in multiple countries that offer free healthcare to their citizens, I honestly cannot stress how much it improves not only health outcomes, but also quality of life for labor class people; from increasing your lifespan, to freeing workers from dependence on bad employers just to keep their health insurance, this is one social policy that has ripples throughout almost every aspect of the lives of everyday people. And it says a LOT about the priorities of the American ruling class that they'd do almost anything to keep you from having access to universal healthcare.

Wow, that's one really talented horse #olympics

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