A MEMBER of the Philippine delegation to the Tokyo Olympics has tested positive for COVID-19.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino identified the positive case as a sports official and not among the 19 Filipino athletes who will be seeing action in the July 23 to August 8 quadrennial meet.
The Filipino official, who Tolentino declined to identify, is still in Manila and will no longer proceed to the Japanese capital as part of the Philippine delegation as he undergoes the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Athletes, coaches, officials, media, and dignitaries arriving in Tokyo for the Games are made to undergo two (96 and 72 hours before arrival) RT-PCR tests before leaving their countries of origin. They will be subjected to Antigen tests upon arrival.
The development came as the first positive case in the Olympic Village in Tokyo was also detected on Saturday, organizers said.
Filipino athletes and their coaches and team leaders are arriving in Tokyo in different batches based on their competition schedules and places of origin.
Rower Cris Nievarez and his coach Edgar Macabitas Maerina and rowing association treasurer Magnum Membrere, as well as boxers Eumir Felix Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Irish Magno and Nesthy Petecio and their coach Ronald Chavez arrived in Tokyo on Saturday.
Sunday arrival for Hidilyn Diaz
Nievarez and Co. flew in from Manila, Marcial and Chavez came from Los Angeles, and the rest of the boxing team — including coaches Nolito Velasco, Elmer Pamisa, Reynaldo Galido and Australian consultant Donald Walter Abnett — arrived from Thailand where they held a months-long training camp.
Arriving on Sunday are weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Erleen Ann Ando, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, swimmers Remedy Rule and Luke Gebbie and shooter Jayson Valdez.
Judoka Kiyomi Watanabe and gymnast Carlos Yulo, both based in Japan, are entering the village also in Sunday. Pole vaulter EJ Obiena and golfer Juvic Pagunsan will be planning in on opening day on July 23 while golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan are expected to arrive on July 29.
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