Botswana’s Isaac Makwala, the athlete who was barred from running at the IAAF World Championships on medical grounds after a norovirus outbreak, will run an individual time trial on Wednesday in a bid to qualify for the 200m semifinals.
The 30-year-old was regarded as one of the favorites for 400m and 200m gold in London, but was forced to withdraw from Monday’s 200m heats and Tuesday’s 400m final by the sport’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), to protect the “welfare of all athletes” as they attempted to contain the virus.
Makwala was refused entry into the London Stadium hours before the 400m final, where he was expected to challenge eventual champion Wayde van Niekerk, with the IAAF saying he had been diagnosed with an infectious disease Monday.
The IAAF said it had been requested that Makwala be quarantined in his room for 48 hours, a period which ended at 14:00 BST this afternoon (August 9).
In a statement issued Wednesday, the IAAF said it had received a written request from the Botswanan federation for their athlete to compete in the 200m.
“Given his quarantine period expired at 14:00 hrs today (Aug 9) and following a medical examination which has declared him fit to compete, we have agreed under our existing rules that assuming he makes the qualification time, he will run in the 200m semifinal round this evening,” read the statement.
Makwala will run alone at 1840 BST from lane seven — his original lane draw in the opening round.
He will need to clock a time of 20.53 seconds or faster to qualify for the semifinals, which will take place at 20:55 BST.
The IAAF added that “no athletes already qualified for the semifinal will be adversely affected.”
‘Victim of a government trap’
The athlete — who had posted the quickest 200m time of the season (19.77 seconds) coming into these championships — had said on his Facebook page Tuesday that he was a victim of a “government trap.”
Van Niekerk, who won 400m gold with ease and is attempting to become the first man since Michael Johnson to win the 400m and 200m at a World Championships, told reporters Tuesday that he had “so much sympathy” for Makwala.
“I saw him just before the 200m heat and the only thing I could think of was just wrapping my arms around him and telling him he should get well soon,” said the South African.
Approximately 30 people staying at one of the team hotels have fallen ill, with laboratory tests confirming two of those cases as the norovirus — an unpleasant but rarely serious stomach bug which causes gastroenteritis (diarrhea and vomiting).
Ireland’s Thomas Barr withdrew from the 400m semifinals, while German and Canadian athletes also staying at The Tower Hotel near Tower Bridge were affected too.
Public Health England said most people made a full recovery from the illness — often caught through close contact with someone carrying the virus or by touching contaminated surfaces — within one or two days without treatment.
A spokesperson for The Tower Hotel told CNN Tuesday it was “not the source of the illness,” adding that the hotel was working closely with the sport’s governing body, the IAAF, and environmental health officers to investigate the origins of the outbreak.