Six people, including two silver medalists from the country of Georgia, have been banished by the Games organisers for “clear and serious violation” of safety and health rules, meant to curb Covid-19.
The news comes at a time when Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in Japan and in view of the situation, a state of emergency has been declared in the cities near Tokyo. Since the start of the Games, more than 10 thousand cases have been reported in Japan. On Saturday, 21 people had tested positive for the dreaded Covid-19 in the Olympic Village.
Games chief executive Toshiro Muto said two Georgia judo players went out for a walk for sightseeing, a violation of the playbook on health and safety protocols at the Olympics. Reportedly, Waza M and Lasha S were seen near the Tokyo Tower after their competition ended on Tuesday.
Muto said the Georgia embassy has apologized for this. The remaining four include contractors from the UK and the US who have been found guilty of allegedly consuming cocaine before the start of the Olympics.
A total of 241 cases of Covid-19 infection have been reported in Tokyo Olympics so far. Organizers said 40,558 people from overseas had arrived as of Thursday to take part in the Games in Japan. On Friday, organizers announced 27 new COVID-19 cases linked to the Olympics, including three athletes, which was the highest daily number of cases so far.
Tokyo already has a Covid-19 emergency in place which will be extended until the end of August, which will continue after the Olympics and during the Paralympics starting on August 24.