Tokyo Olympics 2020: A look at some high-profile players who withdrew from games over COVID-19
Olympics 2020: With Tokyo recording its highest COVID-19 case numbers since a winter wave in January, scrutiny of virus risks around the Olympics is intense.
Tokyo entered the final Olympic countdown on July 16, but there is little fanfare with just one week until the opening ceremony, as virus infections surge in the Japanese capital. According to the latest COVID-19 Positive Case List published on Olympics.com, the total no of COVID-19 positive cases in the Tokyo Games have reached 26 since July 1. Organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have decided to ban fans from all but a handful of outlying venues, a move that came after the Japanese government instituted a state of emergency in Tokyo forced by rising coronavirus cases. We take a look at some of the most well-known sports players who have pulled out of the Tokyo games over the COVID-19 situation. Image: AFP
2/13
WNBA star Liz Cambage has withdrawn from Australia’s Olympic women’s basketball team because of the anxiety about living and competing inside the restrictive bubble in place for the Tokyo Games. “It breaks my heart to announce I’m withdrawing from the Olympics," she said, "but I think it’s best for the Opals and myself.” (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
3/13
United States' Bradley Beal Beal will miss the Olympics after being placed into health and safety protocols and USA Basketball said it will replace him on its roster at a later date. It is unclear if Beal has been vaccinated. Beal's NBA team was hit hard by a coronavirus outbreak early in the season and every club had to navigate players going in and out of the lineup because of the strict protocols in place. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
4/13
Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur tested positive for COVID-19 and has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics. Australia's top-ranked men's player at No. 17, was scheduled to play both singles and doubles. It was unclear if de Minaur’s doubles partner John Pearce would maintain his spot on the team. Image: Peter Van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
Johanna Konta won't compete at the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19, she said July 13, 2021, two weeks after missing Wimbledon because a member of her team had contracted the coronavirus. The three-time Grand Slam semifinalist announced on Twitter that while self-isolating as a close contact, she developed symptoms and subsequently tested positive. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
6/13
Dan Evans, the top-ranked British man has withdrawn from the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19. "I will not be able to prepare and get myself ready for the Olympic Games in Tokyo," Evans posted on social media. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
7/13
David Goffin, the Belgian number one who is 20th in the ATP rankings, recently announced that he would not play at the Olympics because he has not recovered from an ankle injury. "The tournament starts on 24 (July), I still haven't picked up the racket," he told French-language broadcaster RTBF. "The Olympics will be too soon for me this time." REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
8/13
Former world number one and 2012 Olympic gold medallist Victoria Azarenka became the latest Grand Slam winner to withdraw from the Tokyo Games, citing "challenges from the pandemic." "I would like to inform everyone that I have made the very difficult decision to not play in the Tokyo Olympics," the 31-year-old Belarusian wrote on Twitter. REUTERS/Paul Childs
Angelique Kerber became the latest star to pull out of the Tokyo Olympic tennis, saying on Thursday "my body needs rest". "The thought of participating in the Olympics has been a constant motivation for me over the past few moths," wrote Kerber, who is the highest ranked German at 22. Image: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
10/13
Zuzana Hejnova, a two-time world champion in the 400-meter hurdles, won't compete in the Tokyo Olympics due to an Achilles tendon injury, she said Thursday. Hejnova's back and Achilles problems prevented her from competing this season and she won’t fully recover for the Tokyo Games. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, FILE)
11/13
Canadian world number five Bianca Andreescu said she will skip the Tokyo Olympics, citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21-year-old 2019 US Open champion announced her decision in a statement on social media. "I would like to inform you that I have made the very difficult decision to not play in the Tokyo Olympics later this month," Andreescu said. REUTERS/Aeltc/simon Bruty
12/13
Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Australia’s tennis team for the Olympics hours after Tokyo’s governor confirmed a ban on fans in the city’s stadiums during the games which start July 23. Kyrgios posted a statement on social media early Friday local time to announce his withdrawal, citing a need to get healthy and the ban on fans at Tokyo Olympics venues as reasons. “It’s been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics and I know I may never get that opportunity again,” Kyrgios posted. “But I also know myself. The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn’t sit right with me. It never has.” (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
13/13
Roger Federer has also pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics after he “experienced a setback" with his knee during the grass-court season. Federer had two operations on his right knee in 2020 and went more than a full year between matches. He returned to Grand Slam action at the French Open and then pulled out of that tournament after three victories, saying he wanted to be rested and ready for the grass circuit — especially Wimbledon. He said in a post on Twitter that because of the setback, he has “accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games. I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland." (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
