Excitement in the team of German slalom canoeists: head coach Klaus Pohlen and kayak national coach Thomas Apel had to be in corona quarantine in Tokyo.
“During dinner we were suddenly sent to our rooms. It was a shock for us, «Pohlen was quoted in a press release from the German Canoe Association. The Germans are already training on the Olympic whitewater canal in Japan and are currently completing the international training week.
As it now turned out, there was a corona case on the flight of a Turkish Airlines plane on July 6 from Istanbul to Tokyo. The two German trainers also took this flight. The other members of the German team had flown to the Japanese capital on a Lufthansa plane.
No spectators, strict regulations
First of all, all passengers on the flight concerned were quarantined. After checking the rows of seats booked, only passengers who were sitting in the immediate vicinity of the person who tested positive had to remain in quarantine.
“Thank God Thomas and I weren’t close enough,” said Pohlen. After one and a half hours, the message came by phone in the hotel room on Monday evening that their quarantine had been lifted.
However, the entire teams from Croatia and Ukraine as well as the Slovenian coaches are more severely affected. They are expected to remain in quarantine until July 20 and are currently unable to participate in the training.
The Olympic Games in Tokyo are taking place under strict conditions due to the corona pandemic and also in view of the refusal of the Japanese population to host the sporting event.
Spectators are not allowed, for the athletes and journalists there are strict entry regulations, movement restrictions and hygiene measures. Athletes in the country are only allowed to use special transport options in the city and must leave the country no later than 48 hours after their competitions.
