First case of Covid-19 in Tokyo Olympic Village

A staff member guides a taxi at one of the entrances at the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Tokyo on July 15, 2021, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games which begins on July 23. Credit: AFP Photo

A person has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Tokyo Olympics athletes' village, organisers said on Saturday, in the first such case that adds to concerns about infections at the Games which begin next week.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto confirmed that a visitor from abroad who is involved in organising the Games had tested positive. He would not reveal the person's nationality, citing privacy concerns.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed for a year due to the global pandemic, is being held mostly without spectators and under tight quarantine rules.

Athletes are just starting to arrive for the Games which run July 23 through Aug. 8.

Japan's public has been lukewarm about the Games amid a resurgence in new coronavirus infections and worries that an influx of foreign visitors may help turn the Tokyo Olympics into a super-spreader event, which in turn could put further strain on Japan's already stretched medical system.

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