Tokyo Olympics 2020: Most of Australian athletics team out of isolation after COVID-19 scare

Tokyo: All but three members of Australia’s track and field team at the Tokyo Olympics have been released from isolation after a coronavirus scare, officials said on Thursday. The three, close contacts of COVID-positive US pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, have tested negative but remain in isolation and will be tested daily, an Australian Olympic Committee statement said. Forty-one athletes and 13 officials were given the “all-clear” to resume normal activities after spending just over two hours in their rooms at the Olympic Village. “Members of the Australian track and field team in the Tokyo Olympic Village have been cleared to return to their regular routines,” the AOC said. The three still in isolation self-reported once they heard about America’s Kendricks, the two-time pole vault world champion who was ruled out of the Olympics after testing positive. Chef de mission Ian Chesterman said “our strict protocols continue to keep the team safe”. “We want every Australian athlete to be in a position to have their Olympic moment. We will continue to be vigilant,” he added. Thursday’s incident comes just a day before the start of the athletics programme at the Olympic Stadium on Friday.