Tokyo 2021 Olympics: first case of COVID-19 discovered in the Olympic village a week before the Games

For the past year and a half, the cloud of COVID-19 has been hanging over the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Games have already been postponed for a year, a majority of Japanese citizens do not want the Olympics to go as planned and the state of emergency in Tokyo has forced organizers to ban spectators from all events. Now, the virus has directly affected the Games as the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was found in the Olympic Village, just a week before the scheduled opening ceremonies date.

According to international press agency AFPTokyo Organizing Committee spokesperson Masa Takaya confirmed the case, saying “it was the very first case in the village reported during testing.”

Athletes from around the world have already started arriving in Tokyo ahead of the Summer Games which are set to open on July 23 and run through August 8 as Tokyo reported a record six-month case.

While organizers have repeatedly pressed for the Games to continue, there have been difficult obstacles during the global pandemic. After initially stating that a limited number of Japanese spectators would be allowed at the events, Olympic organizers turned the tide earlier in July, saying no fans would be allowed amid concerns over an increasing spread of the virus in Tokyo. and in its surroundings, which led to a state of emergency is prolonged.

In addition, with the Games approaching this month, it has been announced that athletes who are on a medal podium will place their own medals around their necks, rather than the tradition of an official presenting the medals to the winners. .

Earlier this year, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, expressed his belief that the Games could be held as long as protocols and efforts to curb the spread of the virus were applied and followed.

“The IOC is fully committed to the success and security of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Bach.

Nationally, Japan has recorded more than 832,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 15,000 people have died from the virus nationwide. According to the AP, about 21% of the Japanese population is fully vaccinated.