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Athlete tests positive for Covid-19 in Tokyo quarantine

The athlete had not yet relocated to the athletes’ village - local reports

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held under unprecedented conditions and tight quarantine rules to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/AP

Thu Jul 15 2021 - 09:03

An Olympic athlete under a 14-day quarantine period has tested positive for the new coronavirus in Tokyo, the organising committees' website reported on Thursday.

The public broadcaster NHK said the athlete had not yet relocated to the athletes’ village.

The Tokyo 2020 committee did not disclose any details about the athlete.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike were set to meet on Thursday, the metropolitan government said, as Covid-19 cases hit a six-month high in the host city.

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It is not clear what Bach and Koike will discuss at the meeting, which comes a day after Bach met Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga.

Just over a week before the July 23rd opening ceremony, Tokyo reported 1,149 cases, its highest daily tally since late January.

Postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Games have little public support in Japan amid fears about the spread of the virus.

A number of cases have emerged among several visiting athletes and people involved with the Games.

On Thursday, eight athletes from the Kenya women’s rugby team, who were set to hold a training camp at Kurume city in southwestern Japan, were classified as close contacts of a passenger on their flight to Tokyo who tested positive for coronavirus, a city official said.

The athletes had all tested negative on arrival at the airport, the official added, and will be staying at an accommodation facility in Tokyo until the Games.

Tokyo entered its fourth state of emergency earlier this week amid a rebound in Covid-19 cases that pushed Games organisers to ban spectators from nearly all venues.

Bach said on Wednesday that strict coronavirus measures were in place, with high vaccination rates among participants, limited mobility for athletes and support staff, spectators banned and continuous testing.

“This message has to get across. The Japanese people have to gain confidence in this,” he said.

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