An athlete at the Tokyo Olympics athletes village has tested positive for COVID-19, organizers said on Saturday, gaining further attention to possible infections at the Games next week.
“There was one person in the Village. That was the very first case in the Village that was reported during the screening test,” Masa Takaya, spokesman for the Tokyo organizing committee, said in a press conference. However, the nationality of the person has not been disclosed by Takaya due to privacy concerns.
Almost no spectators are attending Japan’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, postponed for a year because of the pandemic. The games are being conducted under strict quarantine rules.
A member of the Nigerian Olympic delegation who tested positive for the coronavirus at Narita airport was admitted to a hospital on Friday. Despite only having light symptoms, the person in their 60s was hospitalized due to their advanced age and preexisting medical conditions. The visitor was the first COVID-19 person hospitalized in connection with the Olympics.
There have been several cases of COVID-19 reported in athletes and others involved with the Games, which start July 23 and are spreading in Tokyo. Experts warn that the situation could worsen. There is a state of emergency in Tokyo, but most of the steps to curb the spread of the pandemic are voluntary, and some people have become a bit wary of following through.
Approximately 15,400 athletes, thousands of other participants, such as media, broadcasters, officials, judges and other personnel, will be arriving in Japan for the Olympics and Paralympic games. According to government auditors, the Tokyo Olympics cost much more than the official $15.4 billion estimates. Public money accounts for all but $6.7 billion.
