The Korean Sports and Olympic Committee delayed the start of Olympics athletes training due to new coronavirus cases. The initial plan was to welcome the first batch of coaches and athletes at the Jincheon National Training Center this week. However, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee postponed their return to next week.
The KOC cleared out the training center in March after the Tokyo Summer Olympics was postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the agency sent around 500 coaches and athletes home.
Most athletes and coaches spent several months at the training center to prepare for the Olympics. While the training center was empty, they sanitized the residence buildings and the gyms.
Olympic Athletes Training Suspension
Last April 27, a sports forum learned that the KOC notified athletes to go back to the training center this week. However, it changed its plan due to the increase in the number of infected persons during the weekend.
According to sports news reports, the new cases are connected to bars and clubs in the Itaewon district of Seoul. Officials are trying to find around 2,000 clubbers for testing. Health officials said that there are 54 coronavirus cases connected to Itaewon bars and clubs.
The infections in Itaewon started when a 29-year-old man tested positive last May 6 after going to five clubs from May 1 to the wee hours of May 2. Out of the 54 Itaewon cases, 43 people visited clubs, and 11 were family members or friends of clubbers.
Last Sunday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 34 new cases in the country. It was the most massive single-day surge since April 9. Most of the new infections came from the Itaewon cluster.
Athletes and coaching staff need to undergo coronavirus testing first before returning to the training center. That way, the KOC can ensure that the Jincheon training center is a coronavirus-free zone. It will lower the sports betting odds of an infection in the facility.
