Hong Kong gymnasts sent to Penny’s Bay upon return from Ukraine as coach tests positive for Covid-19
- Vault Olympian Shek Wai-hung and teammates Ng Ka-ki, Frankie Lee Man-hin moved to quarantine facility immediately after landing at airport
- Coach Sergiy Agafontsev asymptomatic but is still in Ukraine, Sports Institute confirms
Hong Kong Olympian Shek Wai-hung and two of his fellow national gymnasts have been sent to Penny’s Bay for quarantine after their coach Sergiy Agafontsev tested positive for Covid-19 in Ukraine.
The quartet – consisting of Agafontsev, Shek, Ng Ka-ki and Frankie Lee Man-hin – travelled to Agafontsev’s home country for further training after competing in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan in October.
All three athletes tested negative for Covid-19 before boarding their plane to Hong Kong International Airport but were sent to mandatory quarantine given their status as close contacts.
The Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) said it was closely monitoring the case, confirming that all four members had been double-vaccinated before departing for a training camp in Poland ahead of the world championships.
The three gymnasts arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday and were sent to Penny’s Bay immediately with no signs of infection, according to the HKSI, while they continue to monitor the status of employee Agafontsev, who was reportedly asymptomatic.
“We were informed about the case and the three gymnasts have returned to Hong Kong but were sent to quarantine immediately as they were classified as close contacts of the coach,” said a Sports Institute spokesman. “Agafontsev is still in Ukraine as he was found positive after the test and we are trying to find out more on his situation. We wish he can recover as soon as possible.”
The quarantine arrangements will not heavily affect the athletes’ training schedule as they had already been set to undergo mandatory hotel quarantines upon returning from Ukraine. There are also no major competitions coming up soon.
Shek had already said he would now set his sights on the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, with the 2024 Paris Olympics his next major target. However, his sport faces the axe from the tier A programme at the Sports Institute after failing to reach the required benchmark of securing results from international events.
The Gymnastics Association has already requested to extend the review period as its competition calendar has been severely interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last two years.
