When she settled into her room at the athlete’s village in Beijing, American curler Nina Roth decorated a wall with family photos to remind herself of the support she has back home.
Her teammates brought the real thing.
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Skip Tabitha Peterson needs only to look down the ice for a comforting face: Her sister, Tara, is also on the U.S. women’s team. Becca Hamilton’s brother is playing for the American men, giving them something most athletes at these Olympics can’t have — family in Beijing to support them.
“To be able to lean on my brother — and I guess it’s the same for the sisters on my team, they have each other — it’s just awesome to have some sort of family here,” Becca Hamilton said. “I mean it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. But for the most part, it’s great.”
Much like last year’s Summer Games in Tokyo, the Winter Olympics are being played in only partially filled venues and without foreign fans. China has also imposed travel restrictions in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19.
That forced most athletes to leave at home the small entourage of friends and relatives that would ordinarily accompany them to the Olympics — part of the payoff for helping them reach the pinnacle of their sport.
“This is such an opportunity, that our family members also work for, and none of us would be able to do this without their support,” said Roth, who also competed in Pyeongchang. “It was really good fun to celebrate with them at the last Olympics. So it’s a big bummer that they can’t be here this time.”
But some of her teammates found the perfect way to get around the restrictions. The Hamiltons competed as a mixed doubles pair four years ago and are still spending plenty of time together at these Olympics.
“I’ve got, like, one of my best friends and my curling partner here,” Matt Hamilton said. “Not only do I have a sister and a confidant in here, I’ve got someone who’ll do my…
Source : foxnews
