Dutch Olympic gymnasts in quarantine after positive Covid test
One member of the Dutch Olympic gymnastics team tested positive for Covid-19 prior to their departure to Tokyo. As a result, both the athletes and the supervisors of the men's and women's gymnastics teams are now in quarantine, ANP reported.
Sports umbrella organization NOC*NSF did not reveal which team member tested positive. The gymnasts were originally scheduled to travel to Japan on Sunday, but it is no longer certain whether the entire time will be able to do that.
"You have to have a negative test twice to be allowed to travel to Tokyo. If you don't have that, you can't travel to Japan," Maurits Hendriks, technical director of NOC*NSF, told Radio 1 Journaal.
The gymnastics team consists of Eythora Thorsdottir, Sanne Wevers, Lieke Wevers, Vera van Pol, Epke Zonderland and Bart Deurloo. Elze Geurts and Naomi Visser are reserves.
Dutch Olympic Champion Epke Zonderland voiced concerns over his poor physical condition just two weeks before the Games. The 35-year old athlete became the Olympic champion on the high bar at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was also crowned world champion in this discipline three times.
"The body is no longer cooperating," Zonderland said during the press conference, according to Nu.nl. "Previously I could continue to train and there was nothing wrong, but in recent years that has not been possible. I had a very good period until last February, but unfortunately, things have not gone well in recent months."
Zonderland previously revealed he would be retiring from professional gymnastics after the Tokyo Games.
