Canada says athlete contracted dengue in Delhi

TORONTO - Canadian gripes against the Delhi Commonwealth Games don’t seem to be over yet even though the sports extravaganza ended more than a fortnight ago.

Swimming Canada Friday said that its swimmer Annamay Pierse contracted dengue virus during the Games and is now down with fever and related symptoms.

Swimming Canada officials said Vancouver-based Pierse returned from India with a fever and other symptoms. They said medical tests have confirmed that she is suffering from dengue fever, with all its attendant symptoms like nausea, fever, bone and joint pain and fatigue.

A world record holder in the 200-metre breaststroke, 26-year-old Pierse managed to finish only fifth in the event in Delhi. But she won the bronze medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay.

In a statement Friday, the athlete said: “I am thankful for all the continued help offered from our medical team and I’m confident that I will recover quickly. I will continue to update everyone on what will hopefully be a speedy recovery.”

Canadian officials also confirmed that another athlete returned home from India suffering from typhoid fever.

Canada was one of the countries which had threatened to pull out of the Games because of hygiene and security reasons. It managed to finish fourth, with a tally of 75 medals, including 26 gold medals.

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)