Kozo Tashima, the deputy chief of Japan’s Olympic Committee on Tuesday confirmed that he had contracted coronavirus. The news comes amidst the growing doubts over whether the Tokyo 2020 Games can go ahead according to its schedule because of the ongoing pandemic. However, the Japanese officials still insist that the event will take place in July-August despite the speculation that the quadrennial tournament might get postponed or even cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
“Today, my test result showed positive for the new coronavirus. I have a mild fever. Examinations showed a symptom of pneumonia, but I’m fine. I will concentrate on treatment following doctors’ advice,” said Tashima in a statement released by the Japan Football Association.
The 62-year-old said that he had been on a business trip since the last week of February, attending the annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Ireland, followed by a trip to Amsterdam on March 2nd for a UEFA meeting.
“In Amsterdam and in Europe in early March, the level of nervousness against the novel coronavirus was not the same as now. Everyone was still doing hugs, handshakes and bises (cheek kissing)” he said in the statement.
Tashima then departed for the United States to watch the Japanese women’s football team participate in the SheBelieves Cup and also to lobby for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, before returning home on March 8.
“In the United States, too, the sense of crisis about the novel coronavirus was not as serious as now,” he said.
While the Japanese FA staffs have been working from home since the outbreak, Tashima said that he visited the association premises several times last week and attended meetings. On Sunday, the former footballer experienced a mild fever along with chills and reported to a local public health centre on Monday where he told them about his travel history. His positive result came out on Tuesday.
“I have chosen to face the illness as so many people are doing in Japan and around the world,” he added.
The announcement of his illness came as a big blow to the organising committee who declared that the Olympic torch relay and the subsequent celebrations will be toned down to prevent further spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, the flame has already been lit in Greece, and is expected to arrive in northern Japan on Friday.
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