For the 400 m runner, the PCR test prescribed before she was dressed in a Vienna city center hotel worked. The Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC) immediately initiated a corresponding Covid-19 protocol with the medical department.
As a purely precautionary measure, heptathlete and training partner Verena Mayr and coach Wolfgang Adler have also canceled the planned trip to Vienna to get dressed. However, they are not considered Covid 19 contact persons. All Tokyo participants must undergo at least a PCR test and a rapid test before dressing. Before flying to Japan, two negative PCR tests are required within 96 hours. On arrival in Japan, tests are carried out again, after which the athletes are tested daily.
Walli was only last week the penultimate athlete in the ÖOC team, she had collected enough points and came in 45th place in the 48th field of 400 runners. Seven red-white-red athletes are part of the ÖOC team for the summer games. The women’s 400m heats in Tokyo are scheduled for August 3, and it’s Fischer’s turn the day before. Walli had run the personal best over 200 m at the Upper Austria regional championships on Sunday.
On Monday, the ÖOC nominated 75 athletes for the Games in Tokyo, which began on July 23. It’s the biggest team since Sydney 2000 when there were 94. This was followed by 74 in Athens, 70 each in Beijing and London (2012) and 71 most recently in Rio (2016). At 39:35, there are more women than men in it for the second time after Sydney.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
