Hong Kong elite academy extends lockdown with 100 athletes still training for delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Lockdown period is extended to April 22 with coronavirus cases in Hong Kong increasing from 400 to 935 in two weeks
- Athletes from eight Olympic disciplines and one Paralympic sport are still preparing for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics
About 100 elite athletes will train in a closed environment for two more weeks after the Hong Kong Sports Institute continued with a lockdown in its Fo Tan facility.
Following the infection of a number of karate exponents and their coaches who returned from overseas training and competitions, the Institute decided to close the centre in late March with athletes and their respective coaches confined to the campus.
The emergency measure was scheduled to end on Wednesday, but with Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong growing from 400 to 935 confirmed infections in the past two weeks, the Institute decided to extend the lockdown to ensure a safe environment for athletes and staff members.
“There are around 100 athletes from eight Olympic programmes and one Paralympic sport who are now training under the closed environment,” said a HKSI spokesman. “Their health condition is always top of our priority list and we will closely monitor the situation before taking any appropriate measures.”
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Athletes who have returned from overseas and are undergoing mandatory self-quarantine are required to obtain the approval from their head coach before returning to the centre.
The Institute has also conducted deep cleansing and disinfection to maintain the centre’s hygiene condition.
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Karate exponent Tsang Yee-ting, meanwhile, is making good progress after spending almost three weeks with the virus. She had two consecutive saliva tests with negative results last week but unfortunately her stool test failed.
Tsang said on Facebook she needed to be patient and wait until the virus had totally disappeared from her body. She hoped the day for being discharged from hospital was not too far away.
