Decorated US Paralympian denied assistant quits games

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Becca Meyers, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist, said Tuesday she is withdrawing from the Tokyo Games.

Meyers, who won three gold medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016, accused the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) of denying her essential accommodation over her disability. The 26-year-old suffers from Usher syndrome, which caused her to be blind. She has also been deaf since birth.

Meyers said she had "no choice" but to make the "gut-wrenching decision" to withdraw.

"I’m angry, I’m disappointed, but most of all, I’m sad to not be representing my country," she said in a statement.

"The USOPC has denied a reasonable & essential accommodation for me, as a deaf-blind athlete, to be able to compete in Toyko, telling me repeatedly that I do not need a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) ‘who I trust’ because there will be a single PCA on staff that is available to assist me and 33 other Paralympic swimmers, 9 of whom are also visually impaired. The USOPC has approved me having a trusted PCA (my mom) at all international meets since 2017, but this time it’s different. With COVID, there are new safety measures and limits of non-essential staff in place, rightfully so, but a trusted PCA is essential for me to compete”

There are no foreign spectators allowed and a limit on who the countries can bring to the Games.

The Meyers family told the newspaper they were told it wasn't the governments blocking the extra personnel, but concluded it was the USOPC.