Serbian Olympian tests positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in Tokyo: report

An unnamed member of Serbia’s Olympic rowing team tested positive for COVID-19 after landing in Japan, The Associated Press reported Sunday, citing Japanese news agency Kyodo.

The rower was isolated at Haneda airport in Tokyo. Four others who had traveled with the athlete were taken to a facility nearby, officials said, according to the AP. 

The Serbian is not the first Olympian to test positive for COVID-19 in Japan. Several weeks ago, a Ugandan Olympic team coach tested positive, CNN reported.

Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare had said that all the members of the nation’s delegation who had arrived in Japan — 26 athletes and 30 staffers — had already received both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to CNN. 

Another Ugandan athlete has since tested positive for COVID-19, Reuters reported last month.

Japan and Olympic officials have faced growing scrutiny over their handling of the games, which were postponed from a year ago but come as the country is struggling to get COVID-19 case counts under control.

Overseas fans are not allowed to come to Japan for the games, though Japanese officials have not determined the extent to which local fans can attend events.

About 176,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Tokyo since the start of the pandemic, with 2,239 deaths reported. According to the AP, the city reported 176 new cases on Saturday, the highest number in more than five weeks.