A staff member cleans plastic partitions installed as a measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak at the media center set up for the Olympics. Photo / Getty
A staff member cleans plastic partitions installed as a measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak at the media center set up for the Olympics. Photo / Getty
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to cast a cloud of caution over the Tokyo Olympics.
Currently, over 1000 new cases of Covid-19 are reported daily in Tokyo with the majority being attributed to the so-called "Delta" variant. That said, a cautious approach by visiting delegations has minimisedthe risk of the virus spreading as we proceed into the first week of Olympic competition.
A staff member cleans plastic partitions installed as a measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak at the media center set up for the Olympics. Photo / Getty
As members of the international federation for all aquatic sport (Fina) my medical colleagues and I share hotel accommodation near the centre of Tokyo, and a 40-minute bus trip from the aquatic venue. There is strict observance of our travel and together we share oversight of daily testing for around 300 technical officials. These are judges, referees, and others responsible for the conduct of competition and without whom the athletes would be unable to compete.
Our hotel demands strict adherence to anti-Covid protocols including social distancing in the dining room, gloves and masks in the serving area and frequent temperature checks.
Full Kiwi schedule below. Click on a name to see athlete's bio, upcoming events, past Games performance and medal chance.
Each of our cohort of officials must provide a daily sample of saliva for laboratory assessment, as well as individual daily health data, entered into a secure mobile phone application.
Results from these two sources are returned to a central electronic repository for immediate identification of any individual with a positive test for Covid-19. To date we have had no positives, however, should this arise, a proscribed pathway of management will be actioned.
A doctor holds up a poster asking people not to come to Japan for the Olympics during a protest against the Games. Photo / Getty
Concern for Village-based athletes from some delegations (Netherlands, USA) has been heightened by a handful of positive cases. Individuals have been removed from the Village under the authority of local health authorities, retested and where confirmed infective, remain in strict managed isolation. For some their Olympic aspirations have been dashed.
These are Olympic Games like no other.
David Gerrard is a sports medicine professor who was New Zealand team doctor at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games and Chef de Mission at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and 1996 Olympics. Gerrard was an Emeritus Professor at the University of Otago Dunedin School of Medicine and is going to the Tokyo Olympics as part of the medical team for international swimming body Fina.
