Star U.S. tennis player Cori “Coco” Gauff tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to skip the Games this year. Gauff, 17, made the announcement on social media this past weekend.
“I am so disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for COVID and won’t be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” she wrote in a Twitter statement. “It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future. I want to wish Team USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family.”
Tokyo would have been Gauff’s first Olympic Games and, at just 17 years old, she was tapped to lead the U.S. tennis team earlier this month.
Gauff did not say whether or not she’s been vaccinated or if she’s experiencing any symptoms. It’s much less likely for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to get the virus, but it is possible. Gymnast Kara Eaker, who was set to be an alternate on the U.S. team in Tokyo, also recently tested positive. Eaker had received the vaccine.
Athletes will continue to be tested frequently as part of the Olympic COVID-19 safety protocols. In addition to getting a test before they leave for Japan and when they arrive, they’ll get a daily coronavirus test. So some positive tests are, unfortunately, expected.
In addition to all the testing, there are many other measures are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the Games this year. That includes restrictions on where athletes can go while in Tokyo, mask requirements, temperature checks, a ban on spectators, and strict quarantine procedures for those who do test positive.
Related:
- U.S. Gymnast Kara Eaker Tested Positive for COVID-19 Just Days Before the Olympics
- Naomi Osaka Argues for the Right to Take a Mental Health Day in a Powerful New Essay
- How the Olympics’ COVID-19 Rules Will Make This Year’s Games Very Different