The Australian women’s water polo team are struggling to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus shortly before Friday’s start of the Olympic Games in Paris.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) announced three more cases on Wednesday, bringing the number of infected players to five.
On Tuesday, it was announced that two unnamed players had tested positive for the virus.
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The entire Australian Olympic team has been tested for coronavirus, but the positive cases are currently limited to the waterpolo women, Australia’s chef de mission, Anna Meares, confirmed.
The AOC refused to disclose the identity of the athletes.
Meares said that the five athletes would still be allowed to train on Wednesday if they were healthy enough.
The affected individuals would wear masks, isolate themselves as much as possible and avoid busy areas of the Olympic Village.
At the Games in Tokyo three years ago, there were still extremely strict rules in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
In France, there are neither regular mandatory tests nor a mask requirement but some officials fear a widespread outbreak during the two weeks.
German sprinter Gina Lückenkemper meanwhile has managed to recover in time for the Games.
“I was laid up for almost a week with COVID-19,” the 27-year-old said on social media.
However, she has been back in full training since Tuesday and will be travelling to the French capital on Thursday.
(dpa/NAN)
