11 Aug 2017

NZ athletes advised to take hygiene precautions

9:53 am on 11 August 2017

New Zealand athletes are taking extra hygiene precautions at the IAAF World Championships in London.

performance anxiety

Photo: wikipedia

More than 40 athletes from a range of countries competing at the games have reported illnesses in recent days, with norovirus identified in three competitors.

Isaac Makwala

Isaac Makwala Photo: Supplied

Illness forced Botswana sprinter Isaac Makwala to run a solo race against the clock to qualify for his 200m final.

He was initially banned from competing in an attempt to stop the outbreak from spreading.

A number of athletes from other countries staying at the same London hotel as the New Zealand team have gone down with an unidentified illness.

New Zealand medical staff are advising team members to use hand sanitisers regularly and be careful with their hygiene.

There are no reports of illness among New Zealand competitors and team officials say they hope to get through the final days of competition without incident.