SANTO DOMINGO. The Head of Mission of the delegation for the Tokyo Olympic Games, Gerardo Suero Correa, said that the first tests of female volleyball and boxing athletes were negative for the coronavirus.
The tests of the athletes classified for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games and those that are in the process of doing so, ended this Monday with the taking of the wrestling, badminton and judo athletes.
Suero Correa, who coordinated the operation to collect evidence for the athletes who will be in the “Bubble” to be held at the Olympic Lodge, indicated that this week the date on which the athletes’ concentration will begin will be announced.
“We have successfully concluded this operation and now we are going to wait for the result of the last tests to proceed to concentrate the athletes in the Olympic Lodge,” said Suero Correa.
The operation was carried out after the agreement signed by the Ministries of Health and Sports, with the coordination of the Dominican Olympic Committee (COD).
In addition to boxing and female volleyball athletes, athletes and technical personnel of the judo, badminton, gymnastics, basketball, weights, athletics and judo federations were also tested for COVID-19, among others.
The silver medalist at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, the fighter Juan Rubelin Ramírez, considered that taking the PCR test to determine if they have the coronavirus helps them personally and in the family.
The athlete indicated that it is a peace of mind and an opportunity to begin the preparation process with optimism and without worrying that he may have the virus.
Rubelin Ramírez, who is preparing to attend the second qualifier that will take place in March in Hungary for the Tokyo Olympics, said that he continues to train with the instructions of the coaching staff via the virtual zoom platform.
Meanwhile, the badminton coach, Miguel Ángel Feliz Alcántara, described as positive the operation carried out with the aim of obtaining a diagnosis of the coronavirus disease that affects the world.
“This concentration gives us the opportunity to start our training program now and follow the path so that our athletes can continue to accumulate points for the Olympic Games,” said Feliz Alcántara.
The sampling process also included the athletes who will take part in the Pan American Youth Games to be held next year in Cali, Colombia.
