Florida Tennis Star Tests Positive for COVID-19 Just Days Before the Olympics

One year after they were originally scheduled, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are almost here. When the games were rescheduled last year due to Covid, that gave athletes another year to train and prepare for a chance to represent their country at the games.

Unfortunately, in 2021, even though there are several vaccines available, Covid is still not a thing of the past. Olympic athletes are not required to get vaccinated in order to compete, but if an athlete tests positive for Covid, he or she cannot compete in the games, which are scheduled to start on July 23, 2021 and last through August 8, 2021.

Just days away from the competition of a lifetime, one 17-year-old tennis star from Florida has tested positive for Covid-19. Cori “Coco” Gauff is currently ranked number 25 in the world in women’s tennis, and the teen shared on Twitter that “It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics.”

Unfortunately, Gauff will no longer be able to compete at the Olympics. She wrote, “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.”

Despite her disappointed, Gauff tried to remain optimistic. She wrote, “I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this [dream] come true in the future.” She finished the message by wishing her teammates “best of luck and safe games.”

Learn more about Gauff’s tennis achievements and her unfortunate Covid results in the video below.

 

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) responded to Gauff’s tweet, writing, “We were saddened to learn that Coco Gauff has tested positive for COVID-19 and will therefore be unable to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The entire USA Tennis Olympic contingent is heartbroken for Coco. We wish her the best as she deals with this unfortunate situation and hope to see her back on the courts very soon.”

Gauff is not the only Olympic hopeful who has tested positive for Covid. After arriving at Olympic village, two members of South Africa’s Olympic football team and a video analyst tested positive for Covid. As a result, South Africa’s entire football team is now under quarantine. So far, no other athletes in Olympic village have tested positive for Covid.

While Gauff will not be competing because she has Covid, other athletes have decided not to risk getting Covid by competing in the Olympics and are bowing out from the games. These athletes include Australian basketball player Liz Cambage as well as Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. In addition, about 10,000 volunteers have also quit in order to avoid the virus.

Do you think any other athletes will end up testing positive for Covid in Olympic village? Do you think it’s too soon to hold the Olympics? Would you feel safe traveling to Tokyo for the Olympics?