Italian alpine skier Federica Brignone has said she opposes the COVID-19 vaccine but has been forced to vaccinate to facilitate her participation in the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
Organizers of the Games announced last year that unvaccinated athletes arriving in Beijing would be quarantined for three weeks. This requirement does not apply to those vaccinated.
“I was vaccinated, although I am against it. The Olympics are too important and I had no choice. I just wanted to go to China to compete and try to win”, said Federica Brignone in an interview. “Olympic gold is a dream for every athlete. We feel in good shape and I hope to sort out the last piece of the puzzle in China”, added she.
The 31-year-old alpine skier is leading in the small crystal globe rankings in the super-giant slalom this season. She has 19 World Cup victories and a bronze in the giant slalom of the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics.
Federica Brignone, who is one of the favorites for the medals in Beijing, uses the services of a psychologist, who helps her to the appropriate psychological setting before the start.
“In recent years, I have focused on the mental balance that helps me develop as an athlete, but above all as a person. A psychologist has been working with me since 2015. Later I started using hypnotherapy. This helped me understand that mistakes are not a loss, but an opportunity to improve. Last year, I did things the wrong way, wasting energy on unnecessary things”, said Federica Brignone.
Federica Brignone is an Italian World Cup alpine ski racer. She competes in all alpine disciplines, with a focus on giant slalom and super-G. Federica Brignone won the World Cup overall title in 2020, becoming the first Italian female to achieve this feat. She is also an Olympic and World Championship medalist
