USA TODAY International Edition
Gauff out of Olympics after positive
TOKYO – American tennis player Coco Gauff announced Sunday that she is withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID- 19, a significant blow for Team USA just days before the start of the Games.
One of the sport’s brightest young stars, Gauff had been slated to be the highest- ranked American tennis player in Tokyo after several big names passed on the event, citing injuries or coronavirus concerns.
At 17, she would have been the youngest tennis player to compete in the Olympics since Mario Ancic, who was 16 when he debuted at the Sydney Games in 2000.
“It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future,” Gauff wrote on Twitter. “I want to wish Team USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family.”
Gauff is the latest high- profile tennis player to announce she will not be in Tokyo, joining Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep, among others.
Her positive test comes amid growing COVID- 19 concerns at the Olympics, as thousands of athletes, staff and media members arrive this week.
Olympic organizers revealed Sunday that three residents in the Olympic Village, including two athletes, had tested positive despite initially clearing arrival protocols. The South African Olympic Committee confirmed that the cases came from its men’s soccer delegation and that midfielder Kamohelo Mahlatsi, defender Thabiso Monyane and a video analyst had been placed in isolation.
All told, 55 people connected with Tokyo 2020 had tested postive for COVID- 19 as of Sunday, according to organizers. That figure does not include athletes like Gauff who tested positive before traveling to Tokyo.
Olympic stakeholders are required to take two COVID- 19 tests before boarding their flights, and they are tested a third time upon arrival. The frequent testing is part of a complex set of countermeasures that organizers have touted as among the most thorough at any sporting event in the world.
The precautions haven’t assuaged fears in Tokyo, where the government declared a state of emergency. Polling indicates a majority of Japanese would prefer the Games not be held.