Ugandan Olympic team coach tests positive for COVID-19

Japanese officials said that an Olympic team coach from Uganda tested positive for COVID-19 after the team arrived in Tokyo on Saturday, CNN reported.

The Uganda Olympic team, comprised of 26 athletes and 30 staff members, were reported to have already received both AstraZeneca doses, according to CNN who cited the Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare.

Rukare said that the coach, who was not identified, was asymptomatic and is in a government facility. It’s unclear if the coach will be able to participate in the Olympics or will have to be sent back home.

Izumisano City official Hideo Takagaki said that the coach was traveling with eight other people to the city of Izumisano, located in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture, CNN reported.

Additional staff and athletes from Uganda’s team are set to come to Japan within the next few days. According to The Associated Press, the Uganda team is the second Olympic team to arrive in the country. 

Japanese medical experts have already stated that there are health risks involved with holding the Olympics in Tokyo and reportedly said in a news conference that “regardless of holding the Olympics or not, Japan has continuing risks of a resurgence of the infections that puts pressure on the medical systems.”

For that reason, overseas fans have been barred from coming to the international games, but a decision is expected to be reached on Monday regarding the extent to which local fans will be able to attend the events. Several news outlets have reported that Japan may allow up to 10,000 fans at events.