It is the first case of athletes catching the infection while staying in the village. The organisers, however, have not revealed their identities.
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The Games Organising Committee has announced that three athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, adding to the concerns surrounding the Olympics which starts on July 23. Two of them were staying at the Olympic Village. With a lot of question marks hanging over the manner in which the Games will be conducted amid the pandemic situation, the latest development will only add to the organisers’ burden. It is because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics was postponed last year and is currently being held under strict protocols, which athletes and support staffs need to follow during their stay in the Japanese capital.
This is the first case of athletes catching the infection while staying in the village. The organisers, however, have not revealed their identities. The third infected athlete is staying at a designated Games hotel, according to reports. The report further adds that a total of 10 cases were detected on the day, including five “Games concerned personnel”, one contractor, and a journalist, according to the COVID-19 Positive Case List uploaded by the OC. According to OC records, the total number of Games-related COVID-19 cases has now gone up to 55.
“When there is a positive COVID 19 case – it means action. There is a clear procedure to identify close contacts. A case is not just data in a spread sheet but leads to action, including immediate follow-up testing,” International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi was quoted as saying by PTI.
“We can safely say that 40,000 COVID 19 tests have been carried out before coming to Japan for 18,000 Games participants. Then there is the screening on the airport followed by regular screening, testing for athletes every day.”
The organisers, however, did not emphasise whether the two infected athletes, who were staying in the village, would be put under quarantine elsewhere. “Since 1 July more than 18,000 games participants arrived from overseas,” stated Pierre Ducrey, IOC Games Operations Director.
“All of them had at least 2 negative tests before arrival. When they arrived, they had another test. When they are here, there is a strict testing regime in place. The participants of the Olympic Games are the most controlled population in the world.”
こんばんは from @Tokyo2020 Olympic Games athletes village!#Tokyo2020@WeAreTeamIndia @IndiaSports pic.twitter.com/ZfLpbhB7Mw
— Sharath Kamal OLY (@sharathkamal1) July 18, 2021
The first batch of Indian athletes, who left on Saturday night, have arrived in Tokyo on Sunday morning. The shooters and the boxers also landed from their respective training bases in Croatia and Italy. Sports Minister Anurag Thakur gave India’s first batch of Olympic-bound athletes from eight disciplines a formal send-off at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, on Saturday.
Thakur was accompanied by Minister of State for Sports, Nisith Pramanik, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials, including President Narinder Batra and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta.
The 88-member Indian delegation, which includes 54 athletes besides support staff and IOA representatives, left on Saturday night. It comprised of archery, badminton, table tennis, hockey, judo, gymnastics, swimming and weightlifting. The Games will be held under strict protocols which the athletes and the support staff have to follow.
