After years of training, some Olympic athlete's dreams are already being derailed by Covid-19 before the games even start. Others are having to make h

Tokyo Olympic venues won't have spectators

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2021-07-08 14:00:06

After years of training, some Olympic athlete's dreams are already being derailed by Covid-19 before the games even start. Others are having to make hard decisions as authorities impose strict rules and protocols aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

Nick Suriano, a wrestler, took years off from college to prep first for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and then in 2021. A positive Covid-19 test forced him to miss the meet at which he would qualify. So he won't go.

Kim Gaucher, a Canadian basketball player, had to fight to bring her breastfeeding 3-month-old to the games after Japanese authorities imposed a no-friends-or-family rule to control Covid-19.

Japan is holding the Olympics despite warnings from many public health professionals that they should be postponed again or called off. It is enacting strict protocols that limit the number of athletes and coaches who can travel to Tokyo and has removed spectators.

Sports and the spread: There is already evidence that major sporting events do spread Covid. In Europe, the club soccer tournament being held in multiple cities, sometimes with tens of thousands of fans, has already demonstrated what can happen.

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