Team USA Chiropractor Apologizes For Post Comparing Olympic COVID Protocols to Nazism

Rosie Gallegos-Main, the chiropractor for the American women's wrestling team, apologized for a social media post that compared COVID-19 protocols at the Tokyo Olympics to Nazi Germany.

The message Gallegos-Main wrote on her Instagram and Facebook accounts last week was flagged by the social media platforms for spreading misinformation. It read: "We went from 'Flattening the curve in 14 days' to 'Going door-to-door to see your papers'...Gotta admit, I did N-A-Z-I that one coming."

The athletes, officials, coaches and media that have traveled to Japan for the Olympics must follow strict restrictions. People coming from other countries have to provide proof of negative test results within 72 hours of departure for Tokyo. Visitors must also be tested throughout their entire stay and are not permitted to be around the general Japanese public within the first 14 days of arriving in the country.

Gallegos-Main later deleted the post after the Associated Press reported its presence to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to the USA Wrestling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee on Wednesday, the chiropractor said she was sorry "for my poor judgment and my choice to share this message."

The Associated Press reported today that Gallegos-Main will be allowed to finish her planned stay at USA Wrestling's pre-Olympic camp in Nakatsugawa, Japan. Gallegos-Main has been a chiropractor for women's wrestling since 2009, and this is her third Olympics with the team. However, she is not considered part of the accredited U.S. delegation in Tokyo.

She will also be required to undergo diversity, equity and inclusion training, the Associated Press said.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) released a statement on Wednesday. It said, "The USOPC does not condone or tolerate any behavior that intentionally offends or attacks others."

"The post that this volunteer shared is completely inconsistent with our values and we made this clear to her as soon as we became aware of it. As shown through her prompt removal of the share and her apology, she has shown clear remorse and committed to an educational process with DE&I experts," the statement continued. "The USOPC will work with USA Wrestling to see that she gets that educational resource and understands our organization's shared global purpose of building a better, more inclusive world through sport."

In her apology, Gallegos-Main said she had not considered how the post might affect other people. She also claimed that she was putting "an emphasis on coercion by authorities, rather than anything to do with Germany and the Jewish people."

She added that now sees the connection and "will never use this word again in any form that does not have a proper foundation for its usage, such as in a history lesson or in educating people about the past."