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Czech team member tests positive for Covid-19 upon arrival to Tokyo

July 18, 2021

An unnamed staff member of the Czech Olympic team tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Tokyo, the Czech Olympic Committee confirmed in a statement yesterday.

"Unfortunately, despite all measures we could not avoid this situation," Martin Doktor, the Czech Olympic team head said.

"All the other members of the team have tested negative and all athletes are okay in the Olympic Village."

The staff member had a positive antigen test at Narita Airport, which was subsequently confirmed by a PCR analysis.

He has been placed in isolation, as have his close contacts.

Olympic organisers said they had registered their first case in the Olympic Village earlier on Saturday, along with 14 others connected to the Games in some way.

IOC president Thomas Bach said there was no cause for alarm.

"They have been isolated and therefore they are not posing any risk to the population or to the other participants of the Games," Bach said.

"This will be the most restricted sports event in the world. No event has has such strict rules."

Fellow IOC committee member Ryu Seung-Min has also tested positive in Japan, despite being fully vaccinated.

The former table tennis player confirmed on Instagram he had tested positive upon arrival at the airport and was completely asymptomatic.

He has been moved to an isolation facility and could miss out on attending the Olympics.

At a press conference yesterday, Bach said while athletes were concerned about a potential outbreak, they were "grateful" the Games could go ahead. He called on the support of the Japanese public.

"We are aware of the skepticism about this in Japan. My appeal to the Japanese people is to welcome the athletes here for the competition of their life and to acknowledge it is not for any price that these athletes come here."

Bach is expected to speak at another press conference this afternoon.

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