A U.S. tennis player is withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
Coco Gauff, 17, said she was “disappointed” to share the news of her positive diagnosis, saying she will not be able to compete in the Olympic games, which are set to begin on Friday in Tokyo.
“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,” she tweeted Sunday afternoon. “I want to wish TEAM USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family.”
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Gauff is the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by the Women’s Tennis Association, and she holds a career-high ranking of world No. 23 in singles tennis.
After the 2020 Olympic games were postponed due to the global reach of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee imposed strict regulations to prevent the spread of the disease at the delayed games.
Dick Pound, the longest-serving member of the IOC, said in May the committee is prepared to handle the virus, with frequent testing at the location and quarantine protocols in place in the event of exposure.
“None of the folks involved in the planning and the execution of the games is considering cancellation,” he said at the time as Japan experienced rising numbers of cases. “That’s essentially off the table.”
Despite the United States previously cautioning against travel to Tokyo to attend the games, it was reported on Tuesday that first lady Jill Biden will go to Japan to lead the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremony on Frday.
Gauff is not the first athlete to contract the disease prior to arrival in Japan. On July 4th, a Serbian athlete became the third to test positive for the disease before departing for Tokyo.
“Since they are expected to be isolated for two weeks, the Serbian rowing team is unlikely to come to Nanto for training before the Games,” Takashi Ikeda, a sports official in the city of Nanto, where the Serbian training camp is scheduled to be held, said at the time.
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Japan experienced 19,902 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week and 94 deaths during that time period were attributed to the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker.
Representatives for the IOC and Team USA did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
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Tags: News, Tennis, 2020 Olympics, Olympics, Coronavirus
Original Author: Carly Roman
Original Location: US tennis player withdraws from Olympics after COVID-19 diagnosis