German volleyball team refuse to play China after 21 members of delegation test positive for Covid-19
- China are awarded a 3-0 victory in Quezon City after Volleyball Nations League match is cancelled
- German officials request follow-up PCR tests on Chinese players, but governing body says athletes were cleared by local authorities
The German national volleyball team refused to face China a few days after some of their opponents tested positive for Covid-19, costing the team a forfeit loss on Thursday.
The men’s Volleyball Nations League game in the Philippines was cancelled “even though the Chinese athletes were cleared by local authorities after testing positive”, the International Volleyball Federation said in a statement.
China were awarded a 3-0 victory in Quezon City.
The German volleyball federation said 21 members of the Chinese delegation had tested positive on Saturday.
It requested follow-up PCR tests on the Chinese players before agreeing to play but organisers deferred to local health regulations, the federation said.
On Wednesday, China forfeited their game against France because of the virus cases.
China are set to play Argentina on Friday as games continue in the Philippines through Sunday.
The Volleyball Nations League is a worldwide series played by 16 countries in June and July.
The German federation said it was concerned any positive tests in its own delegation could prevent the team from travelling to Japan for games starting on July 5.
