Three athletes, 1 IOC member test positive for Covid-19 less than a week before start of Olympic games

Published
5
An athlete from Ukraine walks to collect her arrows as she practices for the 2020 Summer Olympics at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field, on Sunday, in Tokyo. — AP
An athlete from Ukraine walks to collect her arrows as she practices for the 2020 Summer Olympics at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field, on Sunday, in Tokyo. — AP

Two athletes living in the Olympic Village have tested positive for Covid-19, the first to do so with the Tokyo Games opening on Friday.

Organisers confirmed the positive tests on Sunday, saying both were listed as non-Japanese. No names or other details were provided.

Organisers also said another athlete had tested positive but this person was not residing in the Olympic Village. This athlete was also identified as “non-Japanese”.

Also on Sunday, the first International Olympic Committee (IOC) member was reported as positive. He recorded a positive test on Saturday while entering a Tokyo airport.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed the test and identified him as Ryu Seung-min of South Korea. He won an Olympic gold medal in table tennis in the 2004 Olympics.

He was reportedly being held in isolation. Reports said he was asymptomatic.

IOC President Thomas Bach had said last week there was “zero” risk of athletes in the village passing on the virus to Japanese or other residents of the village.

Organisers say since July 1, 55 people linked to the Olympics have reported positive tests. This number does not include athletes or others who may have arrived for training camps but are not yet under the “jurisdiction” of the organising committee.

The Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay will house 11,000 Olympic athletes and thousands of other support staff.

Tokyo recorded 1,410 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the highest in six months. It was the 28th straight day that cases were higher than seven days previous.

The Olympics will open on Friday under a state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures. The emergency order lasts until Aug 22. The Olympics close on Aug 8.

Fans — local and from abroad — have been banned for all Olympic events in Tokyo and the three neighbouring prefectures.

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

Calling population growth a national emergency is easy. Ensuring that the response reaches the people who need it is the real challenge.
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...