Flights from Amsterdam and Prague to Tokyo give cause for concern

The first COVID-19 infection of an athlete at the Tokyo Olympics found after competing has been confirmed.

Dutch rower Finn Florijn tested positive for COVID-19 after losing Saturday’s repechage race in sculls. Florijn had been staying at the Olympic Village. Organizers scoured for possible close contacts.

Sunday’s rowing events were held as scheduled.

It later emerged that tennis player Jean-Julien Rojer was also infected. Both Florijn and Rojer were passengers on the same flight from Amsterdam along with other members of the “orange” delegation.

Rojer was paired with compatriot Wesley Woolhof. It was the first positive case of the tennis players at the Games. His disqualification put New Zealand’s Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell in the next round.

The Dutch duo had won their first round match against Belgians Gillé and Vliegen on Sunday. Rojer left the Netherlands on July 17 and was tested every day after arriving in Tokyo. Rojer stayed out of the Olympic Village and is now quarantined for ten days.

All Dutch rowers are in isolation. It also became known that their coach, Josy Verdonkschot, tested positive.

Of the seven known Dutch coronavirus cases in Tokyo, six were on the same KLM plane, including athletes Finn Florijn, Jean-Julien Rojer, Reshmie Ooging (taekwondo) and Candy Jacobs (skateboarding).

Another flight, this one from the military airport of Kbely, northeast of Prague, has also caused a stir.

Arriving in Tokyo with 42 passengers including Czech Olympic athletes, there was a problem. The delegation’s doctor, identified by the Czech press as Vlastimil Vorácek, tested positive.

In the following days, four athletes and a coach were detected with Covid: beach volleyball players Ondrej Perusic and Marketa Nausch Sluková and their coach Simon Nausch, as well as table tennis player Pavel Širuček and cyclist Michal Schlegel.

The delegation management later confirmed that Dr. Vorácek was not vaccinated against Covid.

The Czech Olympic Committee (PTAR) is facing criticism for including an unvaccinated doctor.

A PTAR spokesperson said that the doctor was nominated by the Tennis Association on the basis of his professional skills and reminded that vaccination is not a condition for participation in the Olympic Games apart from recommendations for everyone to be immunized.

However, the president of the National Sports Agency, Filip Neusser, supported that the facts were investigated by his office and the Ministry of Health and the results would be released in 15 days, regardless of the National Olympic Committee’s investigations.

What is certain is that six athletes had their Olympic participation spoiled.

Marketa Nausch Sluková, isolated for 10 days, was not able to start the tournament with Barbora Hermannová, which they were supposed to enter on Saturday. Perusic still hopes to compete alongside David Schweiner if he has negative results and no symptoms so his confinement could be reduced to seven days.

Meanwhile, Širuček and Schlegel lost hope.

All passengers are quarantined or isolated but athletes can train and compete except those infected. In addition to the positive athletes traveled on the flight itself two gymnasts, two archers, a fencer, two cyclists and two table tennis players.

At the close of business on Sunday, the Organizing Committee reported a total of 10 new Olympic-related infections, including another athlete from abroad. Since July 1, 132 cases have been reported.

The 10 infections include six officials, one contractor and one member of the media. One official was staying at the Olympic Village.

For several of the Olympians, the five-year sacrifice was ruined in minutes by the Covid curse.