The Blitzboks rugby sevens team were thundered into quarantine on arrival in Tokyo after a passenger on their flight into Japan tested positive for Covid-19.
None of the 18-strong squad‚ which includes 14 players‚ tested positive‚ but they’ve been put away in a quarantine facility about 30 minutes from the Olympic village‚ the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) said in a statement.
The enforced but precautionary isolation highlights the strict protocols in place around the Olympics‚ which will run from July 24 to August 8‚ but even then‚ pundits are expecting that at least some competitors will be ruled out of the showpiece by positive test results along the way.
“It’s an unfortunate situation‚ but there is no real cause for alarm‚” Team SA chef de mission Patience Shikwambana said in a statement.