Tokyo Olympics: Official in IOC refugee team tests positive for COVID-19

An official of the International Olympic Committee's refugee team has tested positive for COVID-19, leading to a delay in their travel plans for the Tokyo Games.

Published : Jul 14, 2021 16:00 IST , Doha

The IOC unveiled its first refugee team at the Rio Games to raise awareness of the issue as hundreds of thousands of people were pouring into Europe from the Middle East and elsewhere escaping conflict and poverty. (File photo)
The IOC unveiled its first refugee team at the Rio Games to raise awareness of the issue as hundreds of thousands of people were pouring into Europe from the Middle East and elsewhere escaping conflict and poverty. (File photo)
lightbox-info

The IOC unveiled its first refugee team at the Rio Games to raise awareness of the issue as hundreds of thousands of people were pouring into Europe from the Middle East and elsewhere escaping conflict and poverty. (File photo)

An official of the International Olympic Committee's refugee team has tested positive for COVID-19 here, leading to a delay in their travel plans for the Tokyo Games even though all others have returned negative results for now.

"...the IOC Refugee Olympic Team came together for a 'Welcome Experience' in Doha, Qatar. Twenty-six of the 29 athletes and 11 officials participated," the IOC statement read.

"On taking COVID-19 PCR tests before leaving for Tokyo, the test of an official returned positive. A follow-up test confirmed the result, while the tests of all other members of the team (athletes and officials) returned negative," it added.

Three athletes could not take part in the 'Welcome Experience' in Doha and two of them -- Ahmad Alikaj (judo) and Abdullah Sediqi (taekwondo) -- are due to arrive in Tokyo on Wednesday.

READ: Canada to send largest team in 37 years to Olympics

"They are accompanied by coach Alireza Nassrazadany. All three are coming directly from their respective training camps," the IOC stated.

The official, who has been isolated by the Qatari Public Authorities, is considered asymptomatic and doing well.

"The official was single-vaccinated and followed all COVID-19 countermeasures prior to departure and during the Welcome Experience," the IOC stated.

"As a consequence, it was decided that the team would currently not travel to Tokyo and will continue their training in Doha while being tested daily," it added.

The refugee team in the Olympics was first introduced in the 2016 Rio Games as a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment