* Two test positive in Tokyo Olympic Village

South African footballers Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi have become the first athletes to test positive for Covid-19 at the Olympic Village for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Monyane and Mahlatsi have not been formally identified by Tokyo 2020, but organisers had confirmed the infected competitors were from the same country and same sport. Another unnamed athlete has also tested positive upon arrival in the Japanese capital, Tokyo 2020 said, but they are not a resident of the Village. The development will cause considerable concern at Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has claimed the Village will be the “safest place” in the Japanese capital, and comes with less than a week until the 23 July Opening Ceremony. Thousands of athletes set to compete at the Games are also yet to arrive. A video analyst working for the South African team, which is due to open its Olympic campaign against Japan at Tokyo Stadium on Thursday (22), has also tested positive. The South Africa squad is now in quarantine, officials said.

* IOC member Ryu tests positive on arrival in Japan

South Korea’s Ryu Seung-min has become the first IOC member to test positive for Covid-19 in Japan prior to the start of Tokyo 2020. Ryu, a former table tennis player and a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, confirmed on Instagram that he had returned a positive Covid-19 test on arrival at Narita airport. The 38-year-old Olympic gold medallist said he was double-vaccinated and had tested negative twice before leaving South Korea to travel here for the Games, set to open here next Friday (23). “I am completely asymptomatic, which probably has to do with the fact that I am vaccinated. I apologise to the Organising Committee, our hosts here in Japan, and the IOC for the inconvenience I have caused. My case is just another proof that the system put in place to protect all of us is effective,” Seung-min was quoted as saying by The Inside the Games on Saturday (17).

* Tokyo 2020 to use piped-in crowd noise

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is to follow the example of other sport during the pandemic by using piped-in crowd noise to compensate for the lack of spectators. IOC President Thomas Bach described it as “an effort to bring the vibe of the world to the stadia.” “We wanted to mitigate the consequences of the decision of the Japanese authorities of not having spectators at most of the venues,” said Bach. In consultation with the IOC, the Japanese Government had taken the decision not to allow overseas fans back in March. A ban on Japanese fans was announced last week.

* Brazilian weightlifter dispelled for human growth hormone

Brazilian weightlifter Fernando Reis, who would have been a medal contender in the men’s 109 kg super-heavyweight category, is out of the Olympic Games in Tokyo after testing positive for human growth hormone. Reis, 31, has been provisionally suspended following a positive test last month and will not compete at the delayed Games, the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) confirmed. Reis, who had the third highest total of the 14 qualifiers in his weight class, is the second Brazilian to test positive in recent weeks. This has led to speculation within the sport that the nation had been targeted by anti-doping authorities based on information received. Reis did not respond to a request for comment, and anti-doping agencies cannot comment on individual cases while investigations are ongoing.