'No such thing as zero risk,' says IOC as athlete village infected with COVID

Record ID: 1627133

  • Title: 'No such thing as zero risk,' says IOC as athlete village infected with COVID
  • Date: 18th July 2021
  • Summary: JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 1st August 2021 06:21
  • Keywords: Games Olympics Tokyo athletes' village competitors first COVID-19 cases organisers
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Olympics,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA004EMD8C3R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Tokyo Olympics organisers on Sunday (July 18) reported three new cases of COVID-19 infection among athletes, as the population of the athletes' village swells ahead of the start of the pandemic-hit Games next week.
    Organisers reported 10 new cases connected to the Olympics including media, contractors and other personnel. That compares with 15 new cases on Saturday (July 17), which included personnel, the first case of infection at the athletes' village.
    An International Olympic Committee member from South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus on landing in Tokyo. Ryu Seung-min, a former Olympic athlete, is vaccinated, reflecting the infection risk even from vaccinated attendees.
    "There is no such thing as zero risk and that we all agree," the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi told a news conference on Sunday.
    "At the same time, the mingling and crossing of population is incredibly limited, incredibly limited. And we can ensure that transmission between the various groups is almost impossible, I'm qualifying 'almost'," he added.
    Tokyo 2020 organising committee spokesperson, Masa Takaya, said the two athletes that had tested positive inside the athletes' village were from the same country and were participating in the same sport.
    Infection rates are climbing among the general population of the capital, topping 1,000 new cases for four consecutive days. Polls show many Japanese oppose holding the Games with the influx of overseas visitors it entails.
    "We want to be really impeccable games participants, and that is something we are relaying constantly, and we do that to achieve these goals of a safe games for the participants and safe games for the Japanese population," said Dubi.
    (Production: Angie Teo, Pak Yiu, Tim Hart, Parniyan Zemaryalai)
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