Tokyo Olympics: Athletes to be tested ‘every 96-120 hours’

TIL Desk Sports/ Athletes will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test taken less than 72 hours before arriving in Japan for the Olympics and will be tested “every 96-120 hours” during the Games, according to a report published by organisers on Wednesday.

During talks between the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the Japanese government and Tokyo Metropolitan Government, further guidelines for how the Japanese capital plans to host the rearranged Games next year were discussed.

Current visitors to Japan need to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival but athletes and other key stakeholders arriving for the Games will be exempt from those restrictions. More than 15,000 athletes are expected in Tokyo for the Olympics, which begin on July 23, with the majority staying at the purpose-built Athletes’ Village.

The report detailed that a testing centre would be set up in the village for in-competition testing. Organisers will also be encouraging athletes to spend less time in Tokyo than they usually would. “We want to be considerate to the athletes, so the village doesn’t get too dense,” Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto told reporters after the talks.