Team GB athlete shares strict COVID rules athletes must abide by

Team GB athlete Jazmin Sawyers has given fans an insight into the strict COVID protocols all athletes must abide by during the Tokyo Olympics.

Sawyers is competing in the women’s long jump at the Games – her second summer Olympics after Rio 2016. She competed in women’s bobsleigh back in the 2012 Winter Olympics.

She posted a minute-long video on Twitter explaining the protocols that athletes must follow, and what they are allowed and not allowed to do during the Games.

Firstly, athletes must take a PCR test for Covid-19 each morning and submit it before 10am. After that, they must take their temperature and enter it into a daily questionnaire on an app, which is sent to the Japanese government.

Sawyers says that there is hand sanitiser available “absolutely everywhere”, and that masks must be worn at all times unless the athlete is eating or training.

In the eating areas, each athlete must eat behind a plastic screen, and they are not allowed to serve themselves food.

Sawyers also explains that the athletes are not allowed to leave their team hotel, apart from for training or to go on one supervised walk per day. That walk is between two points that the 27-year-old says is “not very far”.

Athletes have access to a hotel balcony outside, with a requirement to wear masks at all times.

Finally, Sawyers says that if athletes want to partake in media duties, they can only do so via a Zoom call or in a room with only one other person in that room at the same time.

All athletes are restricted to a few floors of the hotel. They also cannot interact with the public.

When does the Olympics begin?

The opening ceremony for Tokyo 2020 begins today at 12pm UK time.

The Games have already officially started in terms of events. The women’s and men’s football tournaments kicked off on Wednesday.

After the opening ceremony takes place, the equestrian, rowing, archery events will all commence.

Baseball/softball and shooting began at different times this week.

Featured Image Credit: Getty