Tokyo 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) released the second version of the playbook for athletes and officials, which outlines the rules for the participants and officials at the Games.
The daily testing for athletes and all those with close proximity to competitors will “minimise the risk of undetected positive cases that could transmit the virus”, organisers said in a joint statement following a five-party meeting between Tokyo 2020, the IOC, IPC, Japanese Government and Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The rules in the second edition playbook are more stringent than the first version, which said athletes would be tested at least once every four days.
All participants at the Games will be required to take two COVID-19 tests within 96 hours before they fly to Japan, while officials, coaches and the media will be tested daily for three days after their arrival in the host country.
Athletes who test positive will be prevented from competing at the Games, as outlined in the first playbook in February, and have again been warned that a failure to comply with the measures could result in being stripped of their accreditation.
Participants other than athletes will have to quarantine at their accommodation for three days after arriving in Japan.
Olympic and Paralympic competitors will be able to train during this period providing they have tested negative each day or “operate under a higher level of supervision by Tokyo 2020”.
All those attending the Games will have to fill out a mandatory written pledge confirming they will adhere to the rules in the playbook, along with proof of a negative test, before they are allowed into Japan. A lot of other details about the rules and regulation are mentioned clearly in the Playbook.
All athletes will receive a smartphone manufactured by Samsung – a top-tier sponsor of the IOC – on arrival at the Athletes’ Village as all participants will be expected to have health reporting applications installed as part of the playbook measures.
Organisers said the playbook has been “significantly updated in order to address the emergence of new mutant coronavirus strains and the evolving situation of the pandemic”.
The full playbook can be read here.
Courtesy: Inside the Games