SOLO, July 29 — Four members of the Malaysian contingent to the 11th Asean Para Games here will have to forgo their dreams of appearing at the tournament after testing positive for Covid-19 just a day shy of the opening ceremony.
Chef-de-mission Col (R) Md Nor Azam Ariffin confirmed that two chess players as well as a swimmer and a swimming official in Semarang, around 100 kilometres from here had been infected.
He added that all the individuals did not exhibit any symptoms and have been quarantined according to the regulations of the tournament.
“The National Sports Institute’s medical team had set that any athlete that tests positive will be dropped as they need time to recover, in addition to athletes who do not show up for classification for competing.
“Today we have asked all our contingent members to undergo tests; hopefully, there will be no more cases until the end of the Games. It is not only Malaysia, but other countries have registered positive cases as well,” Md Nor Azam told Bernama.
He added that they have taken preventive measures to reduce risks like chartering a special flight to Solo and testing themselves before departure, but there still were cases.
Meanwhile, Md Nor Azam said that the number of events being contested and the final Games schedule is expected to be known after the team managers’ meeting tomorrow.
The Malaysian contingent previously listed 73 athletes, including 22 athletes who will be making their debuts, in 11 sporting events at this year’s Games.
— Bernama
