Panic as African Nation Withdraws From Tokyo 2020 Olympics Due to Covid-19 Concerns
- Guinea have pulled out of the forthcoming Tokoyo 2020 Olympic Games due to health concerns, according to their sports minister
- However, it is understood that the ministry does not have enough money to finance the five-man team to the Games
- The West Africa nation, who have never won a medal in any of the Olympics, have athletes competing in wrestling, judo, swimming and athletics
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Guinea will not be participating in the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to coronavirus concerns, Minister of Sports Sanoussy Bantama Sow announced, according to Punch.
The West African nation only had five athletes in the Games, including Fatoumata Yarie Camara (wrestling), Mamadou Samba Bah (judo), Fatoumata Lamarana Toure and Mamadou Tahirou Bah (swimming) and Aissata Deen Conte (athletics, women’s 100m).
Source: UGC
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Guinea Sports Minister's reason
The Sports Minister in a letter to the President claimed that the health of the athletes amid Covid-19 concerns.
The letter was quoted by AFP:
“Due to the resurgence of Covid-19 variants, the government, concerned with preserving the health of Guinean athletes, has decided with regret to cancel Guinea’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics.”
However, there is a contradicting report from a government source claiming that the lack of finances to sponsor the athlete to the Games is the real reason Guinea will not be participating.
The Olympics is just 24 hours away from starting and it is understood that the high cost of plane tickets and other relatable costs hindered Guinea's participation.
Guinea have never won a medal at any of the 11 Olympics they featured in and the media claims it could be the reason for their withdrawal.
Briefly News had earlier reported that a massive search has been launch to find a Ugandan weightlifter who went missing in Tokyo, one week to the start of the Olympics.
Julius Ssekitoleko went missing from his team’s camp in Izumisano, a city in Osaka, western Japan on Friday, July 16.
Media reports from CNN claim Ssekitoleko left a note saying he wanted to stay and work in Japan, as life in his native Uganda was difficult.
The 20-year old weightlifter failed to qualify for the games after his arrival in Japan and was scheduled to fly back to Uganda on Tuesday, July 20.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Thando Mpembe Thando Mpembe is a sports journalist who has a passion for all things entertainment. In her spare time, Thando enjoys reading and spending time with family. She is an advocate for mental health and believes that a healthy body starts with a healthy mind. Thando holds an Honours Degree in Journalism from the University of Johannesburg. Her favourite quote is "Gentle reminder - you are not for everyone and that is a blessing". Email: thando.mpembe@briefly.co.za
