Barbora Hermannova and Marketa Slukova of the Czech Republic during training at Shiokaze Park, Tokyo, Japan on July 19, 2021.EDGAR SU/Reuters
The very first match of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament has been cancelled because a Czech player tested positive for COVID-19.
Markéta Sluková tested positive earlier this week, knocking her and partner Barbora Hermannova out of the Tokyo Games.
The Czechs were supposed to be playing a team from the host country that would have been making its Olympic debut. Instead, the Japanese pair of Megumi Murakami and Miki Ishii earned the victory by default.
Sluková is one of at least three members of the Czech team who have tested positive since their arrival in Japan, including men’s beach volleyball player Ondřej Perušič.
The team has said it’s investigating if the outbreak of COVID-19 is linked to its charter flight to Tokyo.
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