Greek Track and Field Olympians Told to Isolate after Covid-19 Scare

Greek track and field Olympians taking part in the Tokyo Games were told to self-isolate in their rooms due to a Covid-19 scare on Thursday.

Members of the Greek delegation may have been in contact with Czech athletes. Following multiple members of the team from the Czech Republic testing positive for the coronavirus, anyone at the Olympics with whom they interacted also must isolate.

Greek Olympians told to isolate for covid-19

It appears that Greece’s Olympic team has been caught in the fall-out of the massive Czech team coronavirus scandal.

Although the names of the athletes affected have not been released, the Greek team has been in Tokyo since July 16 and all tests they have undertaken so far for the coronavirus have been negative, meaning that they will hopefully be allowed out of isolation soon.

The Greek Olympians were on the same flight as a group of Czech athletes who ended up being a part of a “cluster” of Covid-19 cases. The flight has caused a national scandal in the Czech Republic, as there was a doctor on board, Vlastimil Voráček, who has refused to become vaccinated — and he himself was the first to test positive in Tokyo.

Subsequently, four Czech athletes tested positive, including two beach volleyball players, a road cyclist, and a table tennis player. There are reports that there were breaches of Covid-19 protocol on the plane and that people took off their face masks immediately after take-off, which has spurred much criticism in the Czech Republic, volleyed mainly towards Voráček and the Czech Olympic Committee.

A Greek athlete, a coach, and a physiotherapist were sitting near a positive case on the flight. This has meant that they have had to enter total isolation — however, members of the Greek delegation are campaigning for a loosening of the isolation for the athlete, as track and field Olympians have been in Tokyo for eight days and all have so far tested negative for Covid-19.

A saving grace comes in the form of the Olympic schedule, which happens to have track and field events set for July 30, giving the athlete enough time to complete a 14-day quarantine before he or she must compete.

Hellenic Olympic Committee announcement

The Hellenic Olympic Committee made an announcement early on Friday about the situation being faced by Greek Olympians in Tokyo.

“The Greek Olympic Committee announces that based on the health protocols of the Japanese Government and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, we were informed that three members of the Greek delegation are under increased surveillance due to possible contact with a positive case during the trip from Athens to Japan.

“All three members of the Greek mission show no symptoms and all the tests they have undergone are negative. The Headquarters is in close contact with the Organizing Committee but also with the members of the Greek delegation so that any further problems can be avoided.”