TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS
A member of Uganda’s Olympic squad has become the first to test positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Japan for the competition due to start on 23 July.
The event was postponed last year, but is now going ahead despite a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases in Japan.
Uganda is also experiencing a surge in cases, which forced the government to tighten lockdown measures on Friday.
The unnamed Ugandan was part of a nine-member squad who had all been fully vaccinated, reports said.
The group – who included boxers, coaches, and officials – had also tested negative before leaving Uganda.
However, one of them tested positive on arrival at Tokyo’s Narita airport on Saturday, and was quarantined at a government-designated facility, Japanese officials were quoted by local media as saying.
The rest of the squad left by chartered bus for Osaka, in western Japan, where they are to train ahead of the Games.
The Ugandans were the second group of foreign athletes to arrive for training ahead of the competition. The Australian women’s softball squad arrived on 1 June.
Foreign spectators have been banned from the Olympics. A decision is expected to be taken today on whether to allow domestic spectators.
Having no spectators at the Games is the “least risky” option, Japanese medical experts have said.
But other Japanese officials have indicated they want domestic fans to attend if possible.
Tokyo reported 376 cases of Covidand one death on 20 June, 72 more than a week ago, the privately owned The Asahi Shimbunnewspaper reported.
Polls in local media suggest public scepticism about the Games taking place remains high amid a slow vaccine roll-out.
