LOCALLY-BASED Olympic qualifiers and other members of the national contingent will be quarantined for at least seven days at the Sofitel Hotel before they leave for the Tokyo Olympic Games next month on a staggered basis, according to Philippine Olympic Committee secretary general Atty. Ed Gastanes.
“Because of the strict health and safety protocols, they get to be quarantined at the Sofitel Hotel for at least seven days before leaving for Tokyo. The Olympic qualifiers will stay there along with most members of the Philippine delegation,” Gastanes said.
Based on the revised and updated playbook of the International Olympic Committee, which organizes the Olympics, all Olympic participants must test negative twice for the COVID-19 virus after undergoing swab tests within 96 hours (four days) before leaving for the Japanese capital.
“Our Olympic participants will have another test once they arrive in Japan. Kasi pag-positive ka doon, goodbye ka na, you cannot go out and you cannot be sent back also.
Hindi ka tatanggapin ng airlines,” Gastanes said. “Kailangan pag-alis dito negative.”
Among the Olympic-bound athletes who will undergo quarantine are taekwondo jin Kurt Ryan Barbosa, rower Cris Nievarez, and skateboarder Margielyn Arda Didal, who is in the process of finishing her mandatory 10-day quarantine after competing in the World Skate street skateboarding championships in Rome, Italy.
Joining them is Cebu-based weightlifter Elreen Ann Ando, who earned a Tokyo ticket after being given a slot for Asia over the weekend through the International Weightlifting Federation Absolute Ranking list.
