- British Olympic Association confirmed the development on Sunday
- Tokyo 2020 has already reported 2 Covid cases inside the Games village on July 18
- Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8 in Japan’s capital city
Six British athletes and two staff members are self-isolating after coming into close contact with an individual who tested positive for Covid-19 on their flight to Japan, reports CNN quoting the British Olympic Association.
British athletes test positive
The BOA said in a statement, “The British Olympic Association (BOA) can confirm that six athletes and two staff members from the athletics team, who through no fault of their own have been identified as close contacts of an individual — not from the Team GB delegation –who tested positive for COVID-19 on their inbound flight on 15 July 2021.”
It said the group had been flagged up through Tokyo 2020’s reporting service and are now undergoing a period of self-isolation in their rooms at the team’s preparation camp.
“The group all tested negative at the airport and have continued to test negative upon arrival into the country,” the BOA added, saying it was operating its own extensive COVID-19 testing protocols and mitigation measures.
Training to resume soon
The British team’s Chef de Mission, Mark England said, “This is disappointing news for the athletes and staff, but we absolutely respect the protocols in place.”
“We will offer them every support during this period and we are hopeful that they will be able resume training again soon.”
Two South African football players on Sunday became the first athletes inside the Olympic Games Village to test positive for COVID-19, with the Tokyo Games opening on Friday.
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Source: CNN
