- Officials await information to confirm if cluster has broken out
- First positive test for an athlete discovered on Tuesday
Two more athletes have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Paralympic village, with officials awaiting information to confirm if a cluster of infection has broken out, after a first case was discovered on Tuesday, reports the Guardian.
16 positive cases reported
The news came as ParalympicsGB announced a member of their coaching staff, part of the wheelchair tennis team, has the virus and is in isolation.
Daily results published by the Tokyo Paralympics organising committee found that 16 positive cases had been recorded among the extensive testing programme. Five of those were in the village, where athletes, coaching and support staff are meant to be in a Covid-secure bubble.
The rest of the positive results are among contractors and Games personnel, while one member of the media tested positive.
Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Masa Takaya said the results would now be referred to specialists. “It seems that those with the positive cases come from different sports and different countries,” he told Inside the Games. “Whether or not there is a cluster should come from the advice from the specialists.”
“We will continue to listen to the advice and try to provide accurate information to the media.”
Player deselected for conduct breach
ParalympicsGB said that a staff member had tested positive for the virus before arriving at the village after testing negative on arrival in Japan and at a training camp.
The GB chef de mission, Penny Briscoe, said “we fully respect and continue to adhere” to the Tokyo 2020 Covid protocols. British officials are now tracing the individual’s recent contacts, but believe they do not include any of the seven-strong wheelchair tennis team.
ParalympicsGB also confirmed that a member of the table tennis team, David Wetherill, has been deselected for breaching his team’s code of conduct. The organising body said it will not be providing further information while an arbitration process is conducted.
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Source: The Guardian
