Kelsey-Lee Barber has become the first Australian Commonwealth Games competitor to test positive for COVID-19.
Key points:
- Kelsey-Lee Barber is the first Australian athlete to record a positive COVID test ahead of the Commonwealth Games
- Barber is still expected to compete, with the javelin final scheduled for Sunday, August 7
- Tokyo Olympics decathlon bronze medalist Ash Moloney has withdrawn from the Games due to injury
Barber, who won the gold medal in the javelin at the World Championships last week, has been reported as asymptomatic and is expected to recover in time for her event.
The women’s javelin final is on Sunday, August 7, at 7pm (AEST).
The Commonwealth Games Authority said each individual nation will be responsible for policing its own athletes around COVID-19 infections.
Australian team chef de mission Petria Thomas is hopeful all 429 members of the team can compete in Birmingham despite a number of them dealing with COVID complications.
The threat of COVID has prompted some Australians to avoid the opening ceremony ahead of competition starting the following day.
“COVID unfortunately has been an ongoing challenge,” Thomas said.
“We’re managing various cases as they pop up so our COVID team has done a mountain of work trying to make sure people can get to the Games and for our athletes to be able to get to the start line.”
Between 150 and 200 athletes from Australia’s 430-strong team were expected to march at the opening ceremony.
Australia’s women’s T20 cricketers are among those opting to miss the ceremony to minimise the COVID risk.
Star batter and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy described the team’s decision as “a bit disappointing” but understandable ahead of their campaign starting this weekend.
“We have taken quite a cautious approach, knowing that if one goes down there’s potential that more in the team will go down,” Healy said.
Australia’s team has been split into five locations in Birmingham, in part to mitigate the COVID risk.
Organisers had planned a single athletes village but construction was delayed because of COVID-related supply issues.
The Australians have been banned from supporting their teammates at other events due to the threat of COVID and been ordered to wear face masks when not in their rooms or exercising.
Strict hygiene protocols are also being enforced with Thomas confident Australia has done all it can to prevent any COVID outbreak.
“We are probably doing more than potentially any other country here to try and keep our team members infection free,” she said.
“We have got an amazing COVID response team that is working around the clock to try and manage the cases that have popped up.
“Certainly our testing protocols have been really beneficial to catch people who were testing positive seven to 10 days before arriving.
“And that has really assisted us to manage those people and make sure that they can get here. They might be delayed in some cases but that also minimises the risk to the rest of the team.”
In other team news, Tokyo Olympics decathlon bronze medallist Ash Moloney has been forced to withdraw from the Games due to injury.
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