Tokyo Olympics: 'I don't like this one bit': Czech PM angered at athletes and officials testing positive for Covid
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Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis called it a 'scandal' and expressed disappointment after several athletes and officials tested positive for coronavirus at Tokyo Olympics Games village. He questioned authorities for not vaccinating them
After six athletes and officials of the Czech Olympic team tested positive for coronavirus at the Olympic village, the Prime Minister has expressed dissatisfaction on the news and has called it a "scandal".
On Thursday, Prime Minister Andrej Babis, burst out at the officials for not taking proper precautions and not following the set protocols and regulations against coronavirus.
"I don't like this one bit. I don't understand how it could happen," Babis told reporters.
The situation became worse as Czech Olympic team doctor Vlastimil Voracek tested positive on arrival in Tokyo. In addition to this, beach volleyball player Marketa Nausch Slukova and road cyclist Michal Schlegel tested positive in the Olympic Village.
All Czech players and officials had arrived in Tokyo on the same plane.
Now, due to her positive Covid result, volleyball player Marketa Nausch Slukova and her teammate Barbora Hermannova have been disqualified out of Olympics 2020. "I don't know what to say, I'm terribly disappointed," Slukova said in a statement.
The Prime Minister has raised the question of authorities and the Olympic team doctor not being vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus. "We keep persuading people to get vaccinated, and the doctor was not vaccinated. It's unfair to the athletes above all," Babis said.
Meanwhile, a probe has been launched into the Covid cluster of the Czech Olympic team. "The situation is serious but since the problem emerged, we have done our best to stop the spread," said Olympic team head Martin Doktor. "Unfortunately, we could not avoid sporting tragedies. I'm terribly sorry."
The head of the Sport Invest agency, who is representing Slukova, has lashed out at the authorities of the flight. "The incredibly underestimated logistics are pure amateurism in our eyes," David Travnicek said. "It is a failure of the person in charge of the charter flight, not of the people on board."