The number of new infections in Tokyo rose to over 1,000, a positive case also in the refugee team's preparatory camp.
Of the more than 8,000 foreigners who traveled to the Olympics in Tokyo in the first half of July, three corona cases were found upon arrival in Japan, according to the IOC. Those affected were immediately isolated, and close contacts also had to undergo quarantine measures, the International Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday.
Positive Covid test
There was also a corona case in the preparatory camp of the Olympic refugee team. A team member had tested positive for Covid-19 in Doha / Qatar, the IOC said. The PCR tests on all other active players and officials were negative. The person who tested positive was immediately isolated by the Qatari authorities; it is not supposed to show symptoms of the virus. In Qatar's capital, 26 of the 29 athletes selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the beginning of June, as well as eleven officials, are currently preparing for the major event.
IOC President Thomas Bach conveyed his thanks and respect for the Japanese people to Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at a meeting on Wednesday. “The organizing committee did a fantastic job preparing these games to make Tokyo the best-prepared Olympic city of all time,” said the 67-year-old, according to a statement.
Bach emphasized again that 85 percent of the athletes and officials in the Olympic village are vaccinated against Corona or are immune to those who have recovered. “The Games will be watched by billions of people around the world. They will admire what the Japanese people have achieved under these difficult conditions,” said the IOC chief.
The number of new infections is increasing
In surveys, a majority of the Japanese had spoken out in favor of canceling or postponing the games again. The number of new corona infections has recently increased steadily in Tokyo. A few days before the start on Friday next week, the capital registered 1,149 new infections within one day on Wednesday, as local media reported. This is the first time in around two months that this number is above the 1,000 case mark, although the fourth state of emergency has been in Tokyo since the beginning of this week.
The concern of many Japanese is that the Olympics could turn into a super-spreader event. Spectators are therefore completely excluded from the Olympic competitions in Tokyo. Entry is only permitted to athletes, officials, officials and media representatives from abroad who are directly involved in the Olympics.
