Coronavirus cases among Olympics teams likely ‘tip of the iceberg’, Japan expert says
- Athletes and staff from Kenya, Russia and South Africa are some people who have been classified as close contacts or tested positive for Covid-19 this week
- The developments come as Delta cases are expected to surge further in Tokyo, where ‘lockdown fatigue’ is rising amid a fourth state of emergency
The Kenyan women’s rugby team on Thursday saw eight athletes classified as close contacts after a positive Covid-19 case was found on their flight to Tokyo, according to an official from the southwestern city of Kurume, where they were set to hold a training camp.
On Wednesday, eight workers at a hotel hosting Brazil’s judo team in Hamamatsu city, west of Tokyo, tested positive for Covid-19, although health officials said no one from the 30-member team had direct contact with the affected employees.
The same day, 21 members of South Africa’s rugby team were quarantined after travelling to Tokyo on a plane with a Covid-positive passenger, while the refugee Olympic team has delayed its flight after a team official tested positive in Doha. The infected official is in quarantine without symptoms and 26 of the 29 refugees will remain in their Doha training camp.
A masseur for the Russian women’s rugby sevens team on Wednesday also tested positive for Covid-19. Previously, members of the Ugandan team had tested positive, as well as members of the delegations from France, Ghana and Sri Lanka.
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