South African footballers revealed as the Covid positive athletes in Olympic Village

South African footballers revealed as the Covid positive athletes in Olympic Village

South African footballers revealed as the Covid positive athletes in Olympic Village. image: twitter

SOUTH AFRICAN footballers are revealed as the athletes in the Tokyo Olympic Village who tested positive for Covid

Two South African footballers have been revealed today, Sunday 18, as the first athletes in the Olympic Village in Tokyo who have tested positive for Covid, along with one of the squad’s analysts, as confirmed by the South African Olympic team officials.

Mxolisi Sibam, the football team’s manager, said the whole team is currently quarantined, “We have three positive cases of Covid-19 in the camp here, two players and an official. There is daily screening. Masha and Monyane reported high temperatures and positive saliva tests, and were then taken to do the nasal test and they, unfortunately, tested positive for Covid-19”.

Adding, “Mahlatsi is the latest player to go through the same process. This unfortunate situation has made us miss our first intensive training session last night”.

This news surely gives Thomas Bach, the IOC president, a massive headache, after he had originally suggested yesterday that the previous positive test presented by an unnamed IOC official represented ‘zero risk’ to athletes or the Japanese people.

It is believed that the two players are Kamohelo Mahlatsi, and Thabiso Monyane, who had both gone into the Olympic Village, while Mario Masha, the team’s video analyst, had reportedly tested positive for coronavirus while clearing immigration control in Tokyo airport.

South Africa’s men’s football team is scheduled to play the hosts, Japan, on Thursday 22, followed by matches against France and then Mexico.

Seung-min Ryu, South Korea’s 2004 table tennis gold medal winner, now a Korean IOC member, has also produced a positive test on his arrival at the capital’s Narita Airport, and even though he claims to be completely asymptomatic’, will enter into 14 days of quarantine at the Olympic isolation facilty, commenting, “I apologise to the Organising Committee, our hosts here in Japan, and the IOC for the inconvenience I have caused”, as reported by thesun.co.uk

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments