Sick of the Olympics? This guy is.

Last night I couldn't breathe, let alone sleep. My head is throbbing, my nose is stuffed, and I'd do just about anything for a good soup and my nice warm bed. I could also use some American TV and my two dogs by my side but that's a completely different matter.
  
Speaking of television; It's nice to know that MTV exists here in Italy. I watched an episode of Miss Seventeen yesterday, only because it was in English. Meanwhile, the Olympics on Italian television consist of 90 percent curling and 10 percent ski jumping.
  
But if you think I'm starting to sound like Johnny Weir, I swear that I'm not. I just have a case of the Olympic bug - literally. I'm sick, and I'm not the only one that has fallen ill in Torino. Close living and working quarters combined with long hours serve as the perfect conditions for various germs, prone to attack at any minute.
  
But it could be worse. I could be an athlete.
  
Figure skater Evan Lysacek nearly had the bug ruin his Olympic experience. The self described germ-o-phobe fell ill following the men's short program Tuesday night. Bedridden all of Wednesday, Lysacek was able to recover in time to skate the performance of his life just 24 hours later en route to his fourth-place finish.
  
He was lucky, unlike the Norwegians.
  
Marit Bjorgen, a medal hopeful in women's cross country had to withdraw from her race last Sunday after coming down with a case of the flu. If you think Lindsey Jacobellis has it bad, just imagine training four years for the Olympics and having to withdraw because of the flu.
  
It gets worse:
  
Two teams were forced to withdraw from the men's nordic combined event because of sick athletes, including Norway which had all but one of its team members fall ill. Italy also had to pull out after one of its team members was hospitalized with a suspected case of appendicitis.    

And some athletes really do have all the luck, like Sarah Hughes for instance. She was one of many to fall victim to the Olympic bug four years ago in Salt Lake City. Fortunately she happened to get sick after taking home a gold medal. She only missed the Closing Ceremony.
  
So if you think the Olympics are all about beating the clock or your opponent, guess again. Because beating the illnesses and the germs that roam the Olympic city are just as important if you expect to land on the medal stand.

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