Olympics: Nigerian official hospitalised in Tokyo after positive COVID-19 test

A Nigerian Olympic official has been hospitalised after testing positive for COVID-19 on arrival in Japan.

The official, in his 60s, tested positive on Thursday evening at the airport with mild symptoms and pre-existing conditions, a local television station TV Asahi stated, without giving further details.

He is the first foreign official to be hospitalised because of COVID-19 on arrival in Tokyo, according to the TV station.

The second batch of Team Nigeria’s contingent to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics arrived in the early hours of Thursday for the team’s pre-Games training camp in Kisarazu, Japan.

The team comprises 22 athletes (athletics, taekwondo and wrestling), including their coaches and 20 other officials.

It was reported that the first batch, which was made up of two athletes, two coaches and six officials in the rowing and canoeing events, left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on June 6.

The third batch, comprising badminton players, will leave the country on Saturday, while the final batch, which will also include the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, will depart Nigeria on June 19.

Team Nigeria will take part in nine sports at the Olympics, which starts on July 23.

Meanwhile, in its daily update, Tokyo 2020 confirmed that there had been four more positive cases among people who touched down in the Olympic and Paralympic host country on Thursday.

The three others are all contractors working on the Games, scheduled to begin on July 23.

Tokyo on Friday as at the time of filing this report, had recorded 1,271 new COVID-19 cases, marking the 27th day in a row where the tally was higher than the prior week.

It is also the third straight day where the total number of infections had topped 1,000.

(The PUNCH)