Complete Australian Team Forced Into Isolation at Tokyo Olympics 2020

The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is underway amidst a pandemic. Hence, the organizers have to take every step possible to ensure that athletes can take part with no hiccups. This means that they are testing athletes regularly. A positive Covid test is one of the worst things that can happen to an athlete while at the games.

It takes away all the athlete?s hard work in a matter of minutes. The organizers also have to make sure that the athletes that test positive don?t spread the infection. This means contact tracing, isolating athletes, rapid covid tests, and so on.

Australian Athletics team Covid scare

After American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tested positive for Covid-19, the Tokyo 2020 organizers have placed two Australian track and field athletes under isolation as they were in proximity of the American. As a precautionary measure, they also placed the entire Australian athletics team under two-hour isolation. Hence, forty-one athletes and 13 officials of the team were in isolation. ?

This Covid scare comes just days before the pole vaulting event kicks off.

?The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) later confirmed that they will keep two athletes under strict isolation, away from their teammates. ?All three tested negative after undergoing a PCR Test this afternoon, while teammates remained in their rooms in line with AOC Covid protocols,? an AOC statement read.

The two Pole Vaulters will train in isolation?

Per The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian pole vaulters Kurtis Marschall and Nina Kennedy are the two athletes who are in isolation. Furthermore, their coach Paul Burgess is under isolation as well. All three have returned negative tests.

?The three, who are all vaccinated, self-reported once they heard news of the US athlete testing positive late this morning. All daily tests of the trio in the village had also returned negative results. All members of the Australian Team at the Tokyo Games are tested daily.?

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Given the events over the last few hours, the organizers will keep them under strict protocols of daily testing and limited contact. Despite this, they are not officially out of the games, and fans Down Under can expect them to compete in their events.