A number of Taiwan’s Olympic hopefuls have been under quarantine in recent weeks after returning from overseas. But with the Olympics rescheduled for next year, there is no time to lose where training is concerned. Two universities have unveiled a high-tech plan to help quarantined athletes stay in shape.
COVID-19 may have led to the postponement of the Olympics, but Taiwan is making sure that it doesn’t harm its chances once the games finally begin. Since the middle of March, 120 Taiwanese Olympic hopefuls have been placed in quarantine after returning from competitions abroad. During their two weeks of isolation, only 60 of them were able to keep up with their training.
This could be bad news for Taiwan: these are athletes that can’t go more than two days without training if they want to stay in peak condition. And since COVID-19 and quarantine rules don’t look like they’re going anywhere soon, a training-in-quarantine program is needed for the future.
That’s where National Taiwan Sport University and National Yang-Ming University have stepped in. On Thursday, they unveiled a high-tech program that uses private clouds and special training equipment to let athletes in quarantine keep up their preparations. Through several gadgets, the program monitors athletes’ health, provides data about their performance, and allows them to talk with their coaches via video link.
It’s one more example of how, when it comes to COVID-19, Taiwan isn’t taking any chances.