With less than 48 hours until the opening ceremonies at the Tokyo Olympics, multiple athletes have withdrawn from their events due to COVID-19.
Taylor Crabb, a U.S. men’s beach volleyball player, tested positive for the virus shortly after arriving in Japan over the weekend and will not compete in Tokyo, according to NBC Sports.
Crabb is the fourth American athlete to pull out of the summer games due to testing positive, joining tennis’ Coco Gauff, 3×3 basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson and gymnast Kara Eaker.
The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal was also forced to leave the U.S. Olympic basketball team while being placed in the health and safety protocols in Las Vegas last week.
Tri Bourne will replace Crabb in the competition, according to the Orange County Register. He will play alongside four-time Olympian Jake Gibb.
The positive tests aren’t just confined to the American athletes, other countries are also dealing with the issue.
Russian swimmer Ilya Borodin tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday just before he was set to leave for Japan, forcing him to miss the games. Borodin was the seventh seed in the 400-meter IM in Tokyo.
England’s top sport shooter, Amber Hill, also tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and will miss the summer games. Hill, the world No. 1 in women’s skeet shooting, was set to begin her event on Saturday.
“Broken is about the only way to describe the pain I’m feeling Right now,” Hill wrote on an Instagram post. “After testing Positive for COVID 19 last night, I will not be competing at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”
Hill said she does not have any symptoms and will take time off to process the news.
According to the Orange County Register, 79 people affiliated with the Olympic games have tested positive, including six athletes, in Tokyo since July 1.
