tokyo 2020 olympics

Ugandan Olympic team member tests positive for coronavirus upon arrival in Japan

110 Comments
By YURI KAGEYAMA

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110 Comments
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And so it begins...

48 ( +55 / -7 )

Ooh...no! Protect our country.

-4 ( +16 / -20 )

For the mathematically challenged:

Expect about 5000 people in 100.000 to have the virus even if the are vaccinated.

28 ( +34 / -6 )

Suga, Bach and Coates should be made to personally greet, shake hands with and hug every athlete and person arriving in Japan because of the Olympics to put their money where their mouth is.

48 ( +52 / -4 )

The “safe “ games are coming up. This Friday also at the US Olympic trials there was one athlete positive and a staff member. Both fully vaccinated and a-symptomatic but proofs the great danger for the Japanese public.

what i find more incredible is that the 8 other athletes were just put on the bus to Osaka. Crazy that. Also for the athletes. A 10 bus ride after a long flight.

36 ( +38 / -2 )

Utter madness thinking they can host such Olympics without any casualties…. Japan will be the next India at this rate

27 ( +29 / -2 )

Then again covid only cause headaches and fatigue so nothing worse than a cold right????

10 ( +15 / -5 )

This will keep the media busy for another few weeks. Not as if this virus is already in Japan.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

"Uganda is seeing an alarming rise in COVID-19 variants and has just tightened lockdown measures. About 590 deaths have been reported, likely an undercount, given the scarcity of testing".

Undercount. Scarcity of testing.

You mean there might be a relation between low death stats and low testing numbers?

I am shocked.

30 ( +31 / -1 )

Ugandan Olympic team member tests positive for coronavirus upon arrival in Japan,

As well as about 1600 new cases daily among the Japanese population...

18 ( +19 / -1 )

“Let the games begin!”

11 ( +14 / -3 )

IOC: there will be no problems and everything will be safe

Reality: this

24 ( +27 / -3 )

Suga, Bach and Coates should be made to personally greet, shake hands with and hug every athlete and person arriving in Japan because of the Olympics to put their money where their mouth is.

id pay to watch this

23 ( +24 / -1 )

TBH at this stage... I don't know if imported cases matter or not. The Indian variant is already spreading in Japan so it's too late really. We just have to keep vaccinating. That's the only way out.

16 ( +17 / -1 )

Weee! Didn't see that coming now did we.

19 ( +21 / -2 )

I bet that the corrupt and incompetent IOC will blame the Japanese government for any kind of scenario. The IOC$$$$$ does not want to lose face. Holding the Olympics amid a pandemic is terribly wrong - even a child knows it.

18 ( +20 / -2 )

What this article does not mention is that there were 80 other passengers on the dame flight as per same news on Asahi (link below)

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14377030

Start of the circus of so called Covidympics begins

and the jokers are still debating to allow 10,000 spectators into watch games…

beyond crazy

30 ( +32 / -2 )

Why wasn't the other team mates (close contacts) put into quarantine? Did Japan suddenly forget it takes up to 2 weeks to show symptoms?

32 ( +33 / -1 )

@gogogo

Why wasn't the other team mates (close contacts) put into quarantine? Did Japan suddenly forget it takes up to 2 weeks to show symptoms?

sinply because it will be bad optics and Olympics is special - IOC/JOC have made a special pact with Corona virus that others will be spared by magic… (sarcasm!!!!)

19 ( +20 / -1 )

Ah ha! I’m not surprised, and this is just the beginning. Who else predicted something like this would happen?

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Let me get this straight..prior to boarding the plane he tested negative. Several hours later he tested positive? To late to cancel now. Just send him home.

-24 ( +0 / -24 )

The daily testing works. Great.

-15 ( +2 / -17 )

Ganbare Uganda and welcome to Japan! The excite is building!

-18 ( +3 / -21 )

I don't believe they have left the rest of them in.

I said I will ignore everything about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but I just can't. It isn't smart. Perhaps not a bad idea to close shop stock up on food and stuff for July and August and just wait for this to this to be over.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Poor souls. A terrible, yet predictable predicament. Now, their “caught between a rock and a hard place.

- “The athletes, arriving late Saturday at [Tokyo’s] Narita airport,… The 8 other members of the team left early Sun by chartered bus for host city Izumisano in Osaka Prefecture.” -

(Let’s hope the don’t detour to an interim location, like the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Aichi Prefecture.)

”Shoganai.” The warm, welcoming people of the Kansai region will greet them with open arms and show the world the true meaning of “Omotenashi”.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Oh, the anti-Olympics brigade will be ecstatic at this news.

I told you, I told you this would happen !

-24 ( +3 / -27 )

There’s been more ‘games’ here lately that those big events scheduled for July. We’ve read a lot of ‘flip-flop’ by one, or two, “Olympic supporters”, … especially since Jun 180.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

JOC: Who's next?

Immigration: Team Uganda

JOC: They are serious contenders. Give them one positive result.

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

How could this be!?!?

Was Suga and the IOC punks, wrong!?!?

Are the Olympics a GASP…..bad idea!?!??

3 ( +6 / -3 )

That one team from one country, 192 (205 if you are counting dependencies) countries to Go. This is going to be a wild ride!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I hope this is just a one off.

With tens of thousands soon to arrive, confidence is at an all time low.

If the Indian variant was ever allowed to take hold in Japan aging community, heck lets not go there.

The IOC and depressingly, J Government, are fully intent on these Games going ahead whatever the potential human costs.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@tooheysnew

Nothing here to be ecstatic about but the fact is that we've been saying that the IOC bubble was total cr$p for weeks. Here is one very clear illustration of our point.

Others chose to praise the said bubble.

And now we should apologize for having been right all along?

You must be kidding.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

What's most surprising is that anyone would be surprised by this.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Every single person over 50 must be vaccinated, like yesterday.

Bulldoze the program out. Jab door to door if necessary. Arm ready, letter box open, Jab, move to the next apartment. Jab everything and anything that moves or stand still.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

The start of the covid roadshow courtesy of the J Gov and IOC, you couldn't make this up, lol

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Pass on that. They can't even do their jobs properly. You only have to read some threads today to see how far people go off on tangents and there's no off topic deletes. I could take the 9 at night shift when they all go to bed.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Aren't these people tested in their own countries before they come here?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

It's already been said but...

This athlete tested positive and wasn't allowed entry into the country. The athletes teammates were all bused off Osaka and don't have to quarantine because of a pre arranged agreement with the IOC / Tokyo OC.

All athletes, and presumably some Ugandan officials too, all shared a plane with the infected athlete (close quarters, confined space, no ventilation, extended time period etc.) and were just allowed to go on business as usual.

Madness. Utter madness.

This is exactly what happened with the Diamond Princess passengers all the way back at the start of this farce in Japan. They just let people go back into society without quarantining and with the very high possibility they were infected.

18 months later, millions of cases all around the world, a topic of daily interest and debate, and absolutely no lessons learned.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

@Mods

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127107-sock-puppet-accounts-unmasked-by-the-way-they-write-and-post/

5 ( +10 / -5 )

*18 months later, millions of cases all around the world, a topic of daily interest and debate, and absolutely no lessons learned.*

If anything positive is going to come from this charade, it will be that the IOC’s image takes an absolute battering (the LDP’s likely will too, but they will be re-elected because when it comes to politics, the Japanese may well be the most risk-averse people in the entire world). They (the IOC) will be known as a group of bullies who will stop at nothing to have their junket, public opinion and public health be damned.

The 2024 games are scheduled to be held in Paris. As in France. As in a country of people who have no problem going out in the streets and letting their feelings be known.

If a similar situation arises then, the IOC might not find it as easy to bully the French government and people into letting them have their way, and it will be glorious to see.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

There is still time to get the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the States.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

any attempt at a positive comment here is instantly downvoted, while every negative Olympic bashing comment is upvoted.

Shows the mindset of most of the people on here

-24 ( +3 / -27 )

Japan, you can make it through this! You have the Aussie support!

-12 ( +2 / -14 )

Sigh.

Why have they arrived early?

Why were the team allowed to just jump on a bus and drive across the country?

I expect they'll be taking comfort stops along the way interacting with the wider population.

Suga/IOC's incredible 'open bubble' concept on full display.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

What's the problem? He got detected and denied entry. System works.

-14 ( +4 / -18 )

any attempt at a positive comment here is instantly downvoted, while every negative Olympic bashing comment is upvoted.

Shows the mindset of most of the people on here

Could it possibly be a reflection of the majority of people in Japan who don’t want the Olympics to go ahead? Did that occur to you?

18 ( +19 / -1 )

just another example of the uselessness of vaccines :P

-19 ( +1 / -20 )

Already, we are seeing infections which can easy spread within the Olympic Village. This is not going to end well. Shut… It… Down!

11 ( +14 / -3 )

A member of Uganda’s Olympic team has tested positive for the coronavirus and was barred entry into Japan

stay home, stay safe :D

0 ( +3 / -3 )

@tooheysnew

I don't think the negative mindset about the Games is limited to this forum of (mostly) expatriates.

You can check any Olympics-related article on Yahoo News Japan. Most comments are negative and get a 70-90% proportion of upvotes. Not on a few dozens of votes like here but on thousands and sometimes tens of thousands.

15 ( +16 / -1 )

Did the JP government hire a bunch of propaganda posters or something and they posted this site? Perhaps the Japanese doctor's association should hire people to post science facts?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

What's the problem? He got detected and denied entry. System works.

How about the fact the close members of the team were sent on by bus to their destination!

It how about the other passengers on the plane, or now the passengers and crew on the plane back to Uganda?

So many things wrong it is incredible to the point of unbelievable

17 ( +20 / -3 )

Words fail me!!!

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Thousands of local transmissions everyday within Japan. This was just one! Olympics should have been canceled regardless as it’s purely insane to have it when the world is experiencing a pandemic! At the end of the Olympic Games when the corona virus is beyond control in Japan then the Government will blame foreigners for it… as always blame the gaijin!

13 ( +14 / -1 )

According to the IOC and Japanese government, nothing but the armageddon can stop the guaranteed safe Olympics from happening, so what does a few athletes testing positive to the virus matter. Just deport them, problem solved. Don't worry about people they contacted on the plane, other team member etc. Japan doesn't do contact tracing or quarantine for Olympic attendees, if other cases pop up later can deport them too, as long as they are not Japanese,

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Like the spread of infection in Japan is coming from the outside. Next news please.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

klausdorthToday  04:21 pm JST

11 Olympic team members (including staff) and one comes up positive.

That's roughly 10%. Can we expect more with more teams arriving?

Besides this arriving 4 weeks before the Olympics begin, wasn't that a "No-No", if I remember correctly?

Uganda has 18 qualified athletes. plus their support staff. That's no where near 10%.

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

I MAKES NO DIFFERENCE , japan is logging 1,500/ infections day , so what difference does it make??

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

And the horse that was on the same plane? Has it bolted?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

A member of Uganda’s Olympic team has tested positive for the coronavirus and was barred entry into Japan

Oy ! What did they do to this poor guy ? They did not actually try to send him back to Uganda. That is too risky to have someone contaminated board a plane. I do not even think any plane want him and I do not think there is direct flight to Uganda, so what will happen to him once landing positive after flying positive in a country which is not his ?

You wanted them to come, now you sucks it up and deal with the issue here. If I remember, there is a nice little building secured which is free to use : it is called Kantei. I am pretty sure it come with some staff, so should be easy to make it a lazaro. And since it come with a nice park, it make it perfect to accommodate athletes as they can kept in shape.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@Hakman: Exactly.T he system has worked and he is now on Government Quarantine.

They key is in the word 'Pandemic' Everybody take a chill pill and calm down.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

@Hakman: Exactly.T he system has worked and he is now on Government Quarantine.

Really, didn't read anything about the other passengers on the plane or the rest of the team being quarantined?

Did you?

No they put them on a bus to some poor silly place in Osaka.

The rest of the passenger are now out and about in Japan.

Strange idea if it worked.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Hakman ... you are 100% correct. They test daily. They identified an athlete with Corona and dealt with it. That is why the strict measures were put in place.

The news should be focused on how well the system works.

-14 ( +1 / -15 )

MarkToday  07:58 pm JST

I MAKES NO DIFFERENCE , japan is logging 1,500/ infections day , so what difference does it make??

It does not matter. From this point on ALL problems will by default be attributed to the Olympics.

Get with the program!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This is no surprise, nobody is getting quarantined before traveling, so this is only the first case in many.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

So 1 member has tested positive after being on a long haul flight, surely the others must also start to show positive results in coming days , or is it all going to be hushed up, or swept under the carpet or this comment deleted for being racist, offensive & vulgar , or insensitive , off topic again?

Screw the olympics importing thousands of variants of this not deadly virus and making us all pay for it.

I refuse to take the vacation.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

About 590 deaths have been reported, likely an undercount, given the scarcity of testing.

When it comes to some developing African country this J-journo whose brain had been frozen throughout this pandemic starts functioning and suspecting the low desth count likely due to low testing. All of a sudden the importance of testing is highlighted when from the beginning of this pandemic Japan has under tested and continues to under test and this particular author like the rest of j-journo and experts never see testing as being important. Hypocrisy knows no bounds.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Hmmm

"all fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jabs and had negative PCR tests before boarding,"

So, fully vaccinated people can test positive. But, is the person actually infected? Or, is it a false positive?

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

I see many posters complaining, and many against holding the Olympics. I have to ask, for those of you that are against Japan holding the Olympics, what have you done to show your opposition...besides sitting at home posting on JT?

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

@LifeAlertAus

what have you done to show your opposition...besides sitting at home posting on JT?

Welcome to the 21century, now protest can be done online without a problem. It is called digital activism. Some famous examples :

https://www.insider.com/kpop-trump-tulsa-rally-hashtags-fancams-donations-activism-online-stan-2020-6

https://blog.bham.ac.uk/business-school/2021/02/02/gamestop-a-new-era-of-shareholder-activism/

As it is a middle of the pandemic, that is quite suitable.

Otherwise, several posters have made it clear they will boycott the game and potentially also sponsors and that they are also voicing their opposition around them.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Vaccines are not 100% effective. They are effective at reducing severe symptoms.

Can a vaccinated person transmit the virus? Yes, it can happen.

An outbreak among fully vaccinated Singapore airport workers showed that new and more infectious variants spread quickly.

As a general guide:

Pfizer: 95% effective overall

Moderna : 94% effective overall

Johnsons & Johnson: 72% overall

Oxford-AstraZeneca:: 76% effective overall

4 ( +4 / -0 )

https://gtimg.tokyo2020.org/image/upload/production/rtd40rja1u5m4p7oifej.pdf

Just if someone wants to look at the contract for the Olympics. Sadly, you can't CTRL+F it, so you'll need to read it yourselves.

IMO, it's absolutely disgusting.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well, that's one way to stop the competition...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Many commenters here are overlooking the fact that everyone in the Ugandan team were fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people have only a 5% chance of being infected and only a much smaller, if any chance, of being infected enough to be contagious to others. If they were all wearing masks on the plane and there was social distancing as well, then there is a very good chance that no one else on the team got infected. We have not been told how many other people, if any, were flying on the plane with them or whether they were vaccinated.

BTW I read in another article that it was a coach and not an athlete who was infected.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

"Critics have raised serious question about the risks of holding the Olympics amid a pandemic. But the IOC, Tokyo organizers and Japanese government insist the Games can be held safely."

They got this one, but no telling how many have gotten and will get through, not to mention Japanese that aren't as thoroughly tested. And as to the government's insistence, is it the same government that insisted people from the Diamond Princess could disembark safely and head home on packed trains, and back to work at their own discretion?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

We Must be fully watched how much positive case found for Olympic relatives including athletes every single of day until closing ceremony as well as a cruise ship at that time in port of Yokohama last year !!

Suga are you understanding ?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Due to be lukewarm border control happened !!

We catch up somewhat that Japan has no made a fussy country longer !!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Problem already started.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The vaccination rate in Japan is the slowest among developed nations, with about 6% of the population fully vaccinated. Although the rollout is gradually picking up, most people are unlikely to be fully vaccinated ahead of the Olympics.

Surely the above is INCORRECT. this 6% mostly have only one shot. hence NOT fully vaccinated.

And dont get me started on this nugget below!!!!!

Uganda is seeing an alarming rise in COVID-19 variants and has just tightened lockdown measures. About 590 deaths have been reported, likely an undercount, given the scarcity of testing.

I dont recall EVER seeing the above logic applied to JAPAN .........EVER!!!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Well if one has it, then they've all got it.. I'm sorry, but it quite simple.... current day tests are not 100% especially since the virus can stay hidden for up to 30 days within an individual.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I refuse to take the vacation.

Fine your choice but remember that in the future when you get refused boarding on your next flight, refused entry into a country ( not one you are a citizen of) refused re-entry into Japan, etc...

Because as has been made clear most countries are eventually going to agree on some form of Vaccine certification and every country has the right to refuse entry to any non citizens for any reason it pleases.

Don't believe the fantasies or crazy idea some try to pedal that "it is your right not to be vaccinated" that applies only in your country and not when traveling internationally.

And don't believe the crazier ideas that people could get away with false certificates, if caught presenting false documents to any countries immigration the consequences will be far more serious than most realise.

Already we are seeing Canadians having problems with the USA because many Canadians are Vaccinated with AZ not approved by the FDA so despite being Vaccinated they are having trouble, non Vaccinated things will be worse.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Surely the above is INCORRECT. this 6% mostly have only one shot. hence NOT fully vaccinated.

According to the official numbers roughly 8 million people have received the second shot by now. The last numbers released are from June 17 though...

I dont recall EVER seeing the above logic applied to JAPAN .........EVER!!!

Well, Japan is special as we all know, isn*t it? Does anyone know if the author of this article also questioned Japan's testing policy at some point?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

it's already over but they'll keep going because of IOC's profits from the Japanese public purse. Truly madness.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

If I remember well, Tanzania's president said last year PCR tests of papaya were positive too...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There is so much money on the line for the IOC it’s too late to cancel isn’t it?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

First, not all vaccines are equal.

Second, the foreign teams won't be wandering around Japan. They are required to be in their quarters or training locations or traveling between those places. No intermixing.

Third, COVID testing multiple times each week for all teams will will continue until they leave.

It will be interesting to see the breakdown, by vaccine, for which teams arrive with and catch covid infections.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

This is far from done, the worst is yet to come.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Does the media ever mention that the PCR test is notoriously unreliable and full of false positives? Even the manufacturer states that it is for lab use and not for general population testing.

But somehow that information seems to fall into some black hole in the mainstream media.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

@Flute. Don't think 'several' posters from here boycotting the Games is going to cause even a faint ripple buddy. As for sponsors.. Love the word of the use 'potentially' Think it's a bit late now. No one is going to withdraw their sponsorship now. Doubtful they'd get any money back and probably end up having to pay for new promotional literature wholesale. I don't think that 80% of the public are aganst the Olympics, I also don't think that 80% support them. Fair chance that 80% simply don't care. Poll samples are notoriously small here and often targeted to a particular group.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

There will be no gigantic death wave from some virus after the Olympics. I wish there was a site I could bet on that. Never seen a bet that was so safe.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Happy Hunger Games, may the odds be ever in your favor.

I do not volunteer as tribute.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"...likely an undercount, given the scarcity of testing..."

Pot, kettle, etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

man, this story got buried from the headlines quick! and haven't seen anything mentioned on TV!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

was it noted which variant came up positive?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

and was barred entry into Japan

No, that’s an obvious lie, he wasn’t barred entry, he is already and still within Japan’s borders. And the rest of the team has even been sent to Osaka without further testing, waiting in Tokyo’s isolated game venues or in a quarantine every other people have to go through. That’s really all unbelievable and totally crazy. Next censoring suspension here accepted, but it has to be said how it is, not how this Olympic mafia and their global ‘liberal’ doggies want it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This athlete tested positive and wasn't allowed entry into the country. The athletes teammates were all bused off Osaka and don't have to quarantine because of a pre arranged agreement with the IOC / Tokyo OC.

this story got buried from the headlines quick! and haven't seen anything mentioned on TV!

Saw a report on this on this evening's Hodo 1930.

It appears the person who tested positive is in quarantine.

The others were allowed to get on a bus to Osaka despite having been in close proximity for hours because it was no one's job to determine whether or not they need to be quarantined.

At least Izumisano City, were they're staying, has asked them to stay in their hotel for the time being and not go out practicing, according to NHK.

There are so many Words Fail Me moments with these Olympic super-spreader Games, we're all going to end up with a speech impediment.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is just the beginning.

Tune in next week for another episode of "Tokyo 2020".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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