I'm guessing those new rules are COVID prevention related?
That's the idea, I imagine. Not that the Olympics are very effective at containing COVID since there's been 127 cases as of the 24th, with more to come in the next week.
And yes, ritualized habits are very difficult to break, especially with athletes where the habits serve a key neurological function of priming the brain. Anyone who's tried to not touch their face during this pandemic should feel deeply how difficult it is to change habits.
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That's the idea, I imagine. Not that the Olympics are very effective at containing COVID since there's been 127 cases as of the 24th, with more to come in the next week.
And yes, ritualized habits are very difficult to break, especially with athletes where the habits serve a key neurological function of priming the brain. Anyone who's tried to not touch their face during this pandemic should feel deeply how difficult it is to change habits.
Edit to add: We're up to 153 cases of COVID in Olympics as of Monday.