How strict Covid rules prevented 3 US basketball stars from sharing in team’s Olympic glory

The USA Men's Basketball team may have returned home with gold medals around their necks, but their celebrations were cut short due to stringent Covid-19 protocols. Steph Curry and two other players were unable to join in the post-victory festivities with their teammates at the Tokyo airport departure gate as they had to follow a different set of rules.

As is well known, extremely strict measures were put in place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to control the risk of virus spread during the largest international sporting event. Along with regular testing and social distancing norms, additional protocols were applicable to athletes based on their risk categorization.

While the entire American squad landed the top prize at Saitama Super Arena, their joy was tempered by the reality that three starters – Curry, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday – had to rush through customs and immigration alone as they were classified as “high risk” owing to their NBA activity before the Games. The trio's close contact with other players during the recent NBA season meant they weren't exempt from the isolation protocol upon arrival in Japan.

As a result, they missed joining their fellow gold medalists at the celebration scene and had to speed through departure formalities separately. The other players relished the moment of achieving Olympic glory together but the contribution of Curry, Middleton and Holiday was no less pivotal in the title win. Their sacrifice highlighted how even small breaches in virus rules could derail the very event the athletes toiled hard for.