T&T sailor Andrew Lewis is in Japan.
Lewis, who will compete in the men’s laser event, is featuring at his third Olympic Games which will open in Tokyo next Friday and runs until August 8.
This was shared on Wednesday by the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) Brian Lewis at a virtual press conference which he used to update the status of the management team ahead of the delayed Games.
The other members of the sailing contingent are manager Kairon Serrette and physiotherapist Maytas Toth and they will be operating from a Satellite Village.
Meanwhile, a member of the delegation was withdrawn and replaced due to testing positive for COVID-19. According to Lewis, the locally-based Olympic delegation must undergo two PCR tests within 96 and 72 hours of their departure for Tokyo. They must arrive in Japan with two negative PCR tests.
“The PCR test, what would have happened is that we (TTOC) would have instituted a 14-day PCR test for the locally-based athletes and that have worked well in terms of everyone who is supposed to be travelling out of T&T.
“All the individuals who were supposed to travel out had tested negative. We would have had one member of the delegation to date, who would have a positive test, out of respect of privacy as you would appreciate we can’t name that individual. Unfortunately, that individual will not be able to travel and we have put in place the replacement.
“I can say at this point in time it is related to the medical unit, so that as I said as unfortunate that it may be, it highlights again the rigorousness of the COVID-19 counter measures put in place, that TTOC adhering to, by Japan government, the Tokyo Metropolitan government, the 2020 organising committee and the National Olympic Committee.”
During the press conference, the TTOC president shared three members of the 60-member delegation were en route to host city. Travelling out to Tokyo were COVID-19 Liaison Officer (CLO) Rheeza Grant and two members of medical team - Dr Rudranath Ramsawak, Chief Medical Officer and Dr Nailah Adams.
“They’re on the way to Tokyo. The rest of the medical contingent will leave later including Dr Anyl Gopiesingh, who mainly assigned to track and field,” said Lewis and in terms of the PCR test he added: “We have not have issues pertaining to that. The reality is that Team TTO management - the Chef de Mission Lovie Santana and the CLO Rheeza Grant would have gotten that right so far.”
Paying close attention to the Tokyo 2020 Playbook, Lewis advised that his team has had ongoing communications with the various team managers and inside the last week, hosting two COVID-19 counter measures Webinars. It was mandatory that every member of the delegation attended at least one.
“Adhering to the COVID-19 counter measures as strict and restrictive as they are, is extremely important. Failures and breaches can result in the Tokyo 2020 organising committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japan government and the Tokyo Metropolitan government warning, suspending and the ultimate sanction of sending you back home.”
There will quarantining on arrival and for the first three days at ones accommodation. However, as athletes and officials, they will have permission to perform your Games-related activities during these three days, if tests are negative for COVID-19 every day; and there will be an app downloaded onto each member of the delegation smartphone to track whereabouts so as not to violate the protocols in place.
Yesterday, it was reported that Tokyo, where a state of emergency has been imposed until August 22, recorded 1,149 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, the most in nearly six months. According to the report, highly contagious virus variants have fuelled the latest wave of infections, and failure to vaccinate people faster has left the population vulnerable.
“Vaccination is not mandatory but encouraged. The IOC encouraging and they have reported as much as 85 per cent of the delegation the athletes and coaches who will be in the Olympic Village would be vaccinnated. From the TTOC’s perspective, we have sort the objective of encouraging to get to 100 per cent. At this point time ofthe entire delegation, we have a significant percentage fully vaccined,” said the TTOC head.
Scource: https://guardian.co.tt