Australian athletes will continue to shake hands with their rivals at the London Olympics, saying not to do so would be an "embarrassment" despite a warning from Britain over the health risks. The British Olympic Association's (BOA) chief medical officer on Tuesday said that "within reason" shaking hands should be off-limits, given that bugs could spread like wildfire in the close confines of an athletes' village.
Ian McCurdie said the BOA had drawn up a list of health advice for its 550-strong team of athletes and 450 support staff for the Games, which start in the British capital on July 27, and hand-shaking was on it. "Hand hygiene is it. It is all about hand hygiene," he said. But the Australian Olympic Committee said it would not be heeding the advice. "Australian athletes have always extended the hand of friendship and we will most certainly being doing that in London," spokesman Mike Tancred told AFP. "For us, someone not shaking hands would be an embarrassment. It's the Australian way."
Tancred said there were antiseptic gel dispensers around the athletes' village where competitors could wash their hands and his advice was that bugs were more commonly picked up from banisters and railings. "Our medical officer advises the athletes to wash their hands regularly, but not to avoid shaking hands," he said.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, where the athletes' village was hit by concerns about cleanliness, a number of people picked up bugs that either affected their performance or forced them to pull out of events. Other health warnings for British athletes at the London Olympics include sleep deprivation, long working hours and the disruption of having to live in a new environment. Athletes could also expect to feel the pressures of performing in front of a home crowd, the BOA said.