Japan: School Athletes Fall Sick After Given Sanitiser Instead Of Water In Drink Mix-up

Yamanashi's high school sport federation stated that the sanitisers were stored in an unlabelled plastic bottle near to drinking water in a cardboard box.

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New Delhi: Japanese authorities have sprung to action after high school athletes were served hand sanitiser to drink during a race, causing one of the students to fall seriously ill after the mix up. The incident took place during the girls' 5,000-metre walking race last weekend in central Japan's Yamanashi, reported news agency AFP.

In a big goof up, the competition organisers in Yamanashi prefecture mistakenly filled the sanitiser into cups instead of water and kept them at a drinks station for athletes. One of the athletes at the event collapsed, vomited and dropped out of the race after drinking the sanitiser, while two others spat it out and continued, according to AFP.

All the three athletes were rushed to the hospital for treatment and were reported to be recovering, as per the report.

What’s the stance of sport federation?

Yamanashi's high school sport federation stated that the sanitisers were stored in an unlabelled plastic bottle near to drinking water in a cardboard box.

Alcohol-based hand sanitisers have become a part of our daily lives due to Covid-19, which has taken thousands of lives globally. 

Yamanashi governor Kotaro Nagasaki on Monday informed that there would be a third-party investigation into the incident. "On behalf of the prefecture, I would like to offer a sincere apology to the athletes and their family," he said.

Meanwhile, Japan's capital reported 3,011 coronavirus cases on May 9 after 4,711 cases were logged in the previous day, said the Tokyo Metropolitan government, according to a report in Mainichi, a Japanese Daily publication.

Of the 3,011 newly infected people, 1,509 had received two Covid-19 vaccine shots, 31 were jabbed only once, while 695 were unvaccinated, stated the report.