Two athletes out of Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19 in Tokyo
TOKYO — A Chilean taekwondo athlete and a Dutch skateboarder will miss the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19, their respective national Olympic committees announced Wednesday.
The two athletes – Chile's Fernanda Aguirre and Candy Jacobs of the Netherlands – are the first known athletes to be ruled out of the Games after testing positive upon arrival in Tokyo.
"I am heartbroken," Jacobs said, according to a tweet from the Nethlerlands' Olympic Committee.
Aguirre, 23, won a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan-American Games in taekwondo and had been slated to compete in the 57-kilogram weight class, which starts competition Sunday. The 31-year-old Jacobs was set to compete Monday in the street discipline of skateboarding, which is making its Olympic debut.
The withdrawals come two days before the opening ceremony, amid renewed fears and concerns about COVID-19 at the Games.
Organizers have touted the effectiveness of their protocols, which include daily COVID-19 saliva tests for athletes, and said that the existence of some positive tests is proof that the countermeasures are working.
The International Olympic Committee and the local organizing committee have also said they believe the Olympic Village will be "COVID safe," but not "COVID free."
Aguirre and Jacobs are the first to be ruled out of competing due to COVID-19 after arrival, though at least three others are currently in quarantine, with their playing status in limbo.
Two South African men's soccer players will be unavailable to play in their team's game against Japan on Thursday after testing positive in the Olympic Village, while the Czech Olympic Committee has said it would possibly seeking the postponement of a men's beach volleyball match after one of the two team members tested positive.
Team USA has also lost several athletes to positive COVID-19 tests, including budding tennis star Coco Gauff and 3-on-3 basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson. Both tested positive prior to traveling to Tokyo. Men's basketball player Bradley Beal was also removed from the team after being placed in the team's health and safety protocols last week.
Meanwhile, Kara Eaker, an alternate on the U.S. women's gymnastics team, recorded a positive test Sunday while in Japan for a pre-Olympic training camp.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.