Tokyo Olympics: Athlete tests positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Japan

Less than three weeks out from the delayed Olympic Games getting underway, an athlete has arrived in Tokyo and tested positive for Covid-19.

An athlete with the Serbian Olympic team has tested positive for coronavirus after arriving in Japan, less than three weeks before the Games, a host city official said Sunday.

The member of the five-strong rowing team was found to have contracted the virus after a test at Tokyo’s Haneda airport upon arrival Saturday, according to an official of Nanto, a central Japanese city, where the team planned to train ahead of the Olympics.

The athlete has been isolated, while the remaining four have been transferred to a separate facility near the airport, the official said.

“The members were scheduled to arrive in our city today and start training, but the entire programme is likely to be cancelled,” the official told AFP.

The case came as organisers prepare to tighten screening procedures at airports after two members of Uganda’s team tested positive following their arrival in Japan last month.

Hidemasa Nakamura, a senior Tokyo 2020 Games official, said last week that Olympic teams should be immediately isolated if they arrive in Japan with a person infected with coronavirus.

Public opinion has been firmly opposed to holding the Games this year over pandemic fears, though recent polls suggest opposition may be softening.

A man wearing a mask passes the logo of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

NO CROWDS AT ALL

Tokyo Olympics organisers have warned they are prepared to hold the Games behind closed doors as virus cases rise, leaving ticket-holders in limbo just three weeks before the opening ceremony.

It came the day after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also said that empty venues remain a possibility at the pandemic-postponed Games.

Organisers decided last month to set a limit of 10,000 domestic fans, or half of each venue’s capacity, for Olympic events.

But a rebound in Covid-19 cases in Tokyo has sparked fears that spectators could spread infections, with the government expected to extend anti-virus measures covering the capital.

“The infection situation changes on a day-to-day basis, and it’s still unclear what the situation will look like,” Games president Seiko Hashimoto told reporters.

“But from Tokyo 2020’s perspective, having no spectators is an option so that we can be prepared for whatever the situation may be.” Local media reports said Olympic chiefs would meet next Thursday to discuss the matter.

People wearing face masks pose for photographs next to Olympic Rings

Acknowledging the “inconvenience and concern” among fans who have already bought tickets for events, Hashimoto pledged to make a decision “quickly”.

Japan’s virus outbreak has been comparatively mild, with around 14,800 deaths, but experts warn another wave of cases could stretch medical services as the Games begin.

Just over 11 percent of the population is fully vaccinated so far. Cases have been rising since a state of emergency was lifted last month and replaced with softer restrictions, which allow up to 5,000 spectators at sporting events.

Those measures are set to expire on July 11, but the government is expected to extend them as early as next week -- meaning they could still be in place when the Games open on July 23.

Hashimoto said any decision would be taken in line with government policy. “It’s not that we are determined to have spectators regardless of the situation,” Hashimoto said.

“We will follow the government standards. Unless it’s safe and secure, we cannot allow spectators.”

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics: Athlete tests positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Japan