Tokyo: Two infected athletes in the Olympic Village

A few days before the start of the Summer Games in Tokyo, two corona cases were found among athletes in the Olympic Village. A third athlete is also said to be infected, but he is not housed in the village.

For the first time, athletes have tested positive for the coronavirus in the Olympic Village in Tokyo. The organizers of the summer games confirmed two cases in athletes who had already moved into their accommodations in the village.

A corona case had already been reported to an official in the Olympic Village the day before. According to the International Olympic Committee, all three come from the same foreign team and have gone into quarantine. “We keep the risk to a minimum, but it is inevitable that we will have some cases,” said IOC Olympic Director Christophe Dubi.

Two more falls outside the village

The organizers also stated that another athlete had also tested positive. This person does not live in the Olympic Village and is also not a Japanese citizen. A member of the International Olympic Committee also received a positive corona test. The IOC said the test was positive when entering the Tokyo airport. The person concerned is Ryu Seung Min from South Korea. He had won a gold medal in table tennis in 2004. According to media reports, he showed no symptoms of a corona infection.

“Have the situation under control”

In total, the organizers have now registered ten new infections in connection with the Olympic Games. This brought the total to 55 cases five days before the opening ceremony. “We believe we have the situation under control,” said Hidemasa Nakamura, head of the responsible department of the Tokyo Games Organizing Committee.

Around 11,000 athletes and thousands of employees are housed in the Olympic Village in Tokyo. The games begin on Friday while the Japanese capital and its environs are in an emergency. They take place largely without fans and last until August 8th.