IOC Devising Athlete Protocols for Arrival at Tokyo Games
According to a report by Inside the Games, specific COVID-19 protocols have been devised for athletes prior to and after their arrival in Tokyo for this summer’s Olympic Games. Australian John Coates, the Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, athletes will be required to quarantine and undergo a COVID-19 test at least 72 hours before they fly to Tokyo and will be tested frequently after they settle into the Olympic Village.
The specific guidelines for the Games are expected to be released next week by the IOC and Tokyo Games organizing committee. Athletes will not be expected to quarantine once they arrive at the Olympic Village, but their movement will be limited to within the Village and their respective competition venues.
To ensure testing is effective, athletes will be expected to arrive in Tokyo five days before their events and they must depart Tokyo no more than two days after the conclusion of their sport. IOC officials are hopeful that limiting the number of athletes in the Olympic Village will lower the potential of COVID-19 spread.
A decision has still not been made on the allowance of spectators for the Games, but the possibility of the Olympics unfolding without crowds is on the table. That decision will be made at a later time, as the elimination of spectators would be financially costly.
Coates also indicated that a second postponement of the Olympics, such as a delay to 2022, is not an option. If the Olympic Games cannot take place this summer, he noted that cancellation would follow.