With six days to go, two athletes living in the Olympic Village have tested positive for Covid-19, the first to do so with the Tokyo Games opening on Friday a day after a “non-athlete” was detected positive for the virus as fears mount over safety of athletes in Japan teetering under pandemic scourge.
Organizers confirmed the positive tests on Sunday and both were listed as non-Japanese. No names or other details were provided.
Organizers on Sunday also said another athlete had tested positive but this person was not residing in the Olympic Village. This athlete was also identified as “non-Japanese.”
All three are under 14-day quarantine, the press communique read.
Also on Sunday, the first International Olympic Committee member was reported as positive. He recorded a positive test on Saturday entering a Tokyo airport.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed the test and identified him as Ryu Seung-min of South Korea.
He won an Olympic gold medal in table tennis in the 2004 Olympics.
He was reportedly being held in isolation. Reports said he was asymptomatic.
Organizers say since 1 July, 55 people linked to the Olympics have reported positive tests.
This accounting does include athletes or others who may have arrived for training camps but are not yet under the “jurisdiction” of the organizing committee.
The Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay will house 11,000 Olympic athletes and thousands of other support staff.
Tokyo recorded 1,410 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the highest in six months. It was the 28th straight day that cases were higher than seven days previous.
The Olympics will open on Friday under a state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures.
The emergency order lasts until 22 August. The Olympics close on 8 August.
Fans – local and fans from abroad – have been banned for all Olympic events in Tokyo and the three neighboring prefectures. As few outlying venues may allow a smattering of local fans.