Friday 23 July 2021
Simon Geschke tested positive
First corona case in the German Olympic team
Now the German Olympic team has also been hit. Professional cyclist Simon Geschke will test positive for Covid-19 before the road race. On Saturday only three German drivers will go on the 234-kilometer route.
Corona shock for the German Olympic team: One day before his start in the road race, cyclist Simon Geschke was the first German athlete to be excluded from the summer games in Tokyo after a positive test. This was announced by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). “I feel good physically, but emotionally it is a very black day for me. Now all I can do is wish the boys a strong race,” said Geschke, who had been vaccinated against Corona before the trip to Tokyo. All other German drivers and supervisors tested negative.
The 35-year-old emphasized that he had “adhered to all hygiene rules to the best of his knowledge and belief”. To be taken out of the race so shortly before the competition is really tough. Geschke had initially tested positive in the daily antigen test. A subsequent PCR test confirmed the result. On Saturday, Geschke should have started the extremely demanding road race as a helper of the medal hope Maximilian Schachmann.
Can Buchmann start?
“It’s not a good start for our team at these games. But we hope that Maximilian Schachmann’s team can still drive a good race, even if we will of course miss Geschke,” said sporting director Patrick Moster. The German team will now start with a maximum of three, although the participation of Geschke’s roommate Emanuel Buchmann is still open.
The Ravensburger was initially tested negative, but had to go to Tokyo, a good 100 kilometers away, for another PCR test on Saturday night. The former fourth of the Tour de France will probably only get the green light on race day. If Buchmann were also absent, Schachmann and Nikias Arndt would have to cope with the 234-kilometer route with almost 5000 meters of altitude as the only German starters.
The cyclists are accommodated on Mount Fuji, a two-hour drive west of Tokyo. Geschke flew directly from Paris to Tokyo on the Monday after the end of the Tour de France and had trained with his teammates on Thursday. “I’m really looking forward to the race,” wrote Geschke on Instagram. The Berliner also announced that he suffered badly from jetlag.
For Geschke it goes to the isolation ward
Due to the positive test, Geschke now has to go to a specially set up isolation ward and is initially not allowed to leave the country. The authorities now have to decide how long the quarantine will last. In the start list, gifts will not be listed as disqualified, but as “did not start”.
The organizers had previously published 19 new corona cases on the opening day. This is the highest value since the tests began to be recorded on July 1st. According to the announcement, those affected include three athletes who do not come from Japan.
Federico Morais himself announced on Friday that he could not be at the Olympic premiere of his sport due to a corona infection. The Czech preliminary round opponents of the German beach volleyball players Laura Ludwig and Margareta Kozuch also had to give up their Olympic hopes. The duo Barbora Hermannova / Marketa Slukova cannot participate because of the positive Corona test at Slukova and all games are scored against themselves.
Over 100 positive tests since July 1st
The German standard-bearer Ludwig showed a lot of compassion. “It’s just sad. We know them very, very well, they are very good training partners. I get goose bumps again when I think about it,” said Ludwig. A few hours later, the corona virus arrived in the German Olympic team.
The German Olympic team consists of 432 athletes. According to the DOSB, 95 percent of them start completely vaccinated. For the doctors and the functional team of the DOSB there was even a corona vaccination obligation.
Since July 1, more than 100 foreign athletes and coaches have tested positive for the corona virus at the Summer Games in Tokyo. According to the rules, they are isolated in Japan. Because of the corona pandemic, strict rules of conduct apply to all athletes and Olympic participants. Spectators are excluded from the arenas.
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