A member of Team Uganda to the Olympics has tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan where the team is set to camp for one month ahead of the July 2020 Tokyo Games.

The undisclosed member is part of the first batch of the Uganda athletes who were flagged off for Japan by the State Minister of Sports Hamson Obua on Thursday. 17th. July. 2021 at the National Council of Sports Headquarters, Lugogo.

The team that was composed of five athletes and five officials left Uganda for Japan for a training camp in the host country however, up on arrival in Japan on Saturday, one of the members tested positive for the corona virus and has been taken into designated isolation facility in Japan.

The other members of the team continued to Osaka, Japan where they will train ahead of the Tokyo Games that are slated to kick off on 23rd. July. 2021.

Hidemasa Nakamura, the Tokyo 2020 Games delivery officer confirmed the bad news in the Ugandan camp while speaking to reporters.

“I heard the person has been isolated based on regulations,” said Nakamura.

This unfortunate news contradicted Beatrice Ayikoru’s early statement that all the athletes had been vaccinated, test twice and kept in isolation for two weeks before the left for Japan.

Ayikoru is the Chief of Mission for the Tokyo Games for team Uganda.

The first batch of athletes included three boxers in Shadir Musa Bwogi (welterweight), David Ssemujju (middleweight) and Catherine Nanziri (flyweight); weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko and swimmer Atuhaire Ambale.

The second batch of Uganda Olympians will leave for Japan on 29th. June and according to Ayikoru, the team will be comprised of the middle distance runners from the athletics discipline.

By Joseph Mary Ssempiira www.sportznow.ug writer.