Australian basketball star Liz Cambage says she survived coronavirus before the world was even aware of the disease.
As countries scrambles to deal with the growing threat of the spread of COVID-19, Cambage has revealed she believes she suffered the disease while playing in China last December.
"I think I had it before it was a global thing," she told Newscorp.
COVID-19, a respiratory disease was first reported in December 2019 before topping the global agenda in late January.
The Opals and WNBA superstar recalled her time with the illness which had her bound to a wheelchair with pneumonia.
"I was so weak, I couldn't walk, I was in a wheelchair. I had pneumonia," she said.
"I actually was sick in hospital and I honestly think I had corona."
Cambage recently lead the Opals through a successful FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying campaign in France, with the Australians snatching one of three spots up for grabs in the upcoming Games.
But as Australia gears up for a strong showing in both the men's and women's events in basketball, their hopes could be cut short should growing fear surrounding the virus lead the games to be postponed.
However, Cambage was less than convinced by the "hysteria".
"I think the media and people are reading too much into it and it's causing hysterics in the general public," she said.
"I can't imagine them calling it off.''
The International Olympic Committee has given further unequivocal backing to this summer's Tokyo Olympics, urging athletes to prepare "full steam" despite the coronavirus threat - and despite Japan flagging a possible postponement.
"We are preparing for a successful Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020," IOC head Thomas Bach said at an executive board meeting on Tuesday to discuss the July 24-August 9 sporting extravaganza.
Earlier on Tuesday, Japan's Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto had said that details within Tokyo's contract with the IOC "could be interpreted as allowing a postponement" until the end of the year.
"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the right to cancel the Tokyo Olympics only if the Games are not held within this year," Hashimoto said, in a notable shift from Japan's firm stance that the Olympics would go ahead as planned.
That host city contract states that one of several triggers which would allow the IOC to withdraw the Games from Tokyo would be if "the Games are not celebrated during the year 2020".
Hashimoto said, however, that Japan's government and Tokyo were still committed to the Games beginning on July 24, and the IOC has repeatedly swatted aside any suggestions of a postponement.
The Olympic body said again on Tuesday there was no Plan B, and that the Games would take place in their allotted time slot.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/basketball/coronavirus-news-liz-cambage-caught-disease-in-china/ccff62a9-f869-41bc-80ef-27b225a56cfa
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