Covid-19 had stripped so much of the magic from this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Apart from cheering crowds and the freedom to explore Japan’s capital, athletes have also been denied the opportunity to mix and mingle with each other because of tight protocols.
It seems not everyone got the memo.
Tokyo Olympic chiefs have launched an investigation into apparent rule-breaking at an outdoor drinking party at the athletes’ village.
Bosses of the Games say that ‘multiple athletes’ and team officials were involved in the boozy bash at the Tokyo Bay complex on Friday night.
Police arrived after the incident at the Olympic village, which is home to 11,000 sporting stars throughout the games.
Details remain unclear regarding what action was taken on the night or which athletes and countries were involved.
Either way, if alcohol was consumed in groups on sight, it would be in contravention of ‘playbook’ rules designed to protect the village from a Covid outbreak. Athletes are however allowed to drink on their own in their rooms.
Athletes who break the rules face being thrown out of the village and may even be stripped of their Olympic credential.
‘We are investigating the situation and based on the result we are to take appropriate action,’ Games chief executive Toshiro Muto said through an interpreter.
The incident comes after two medal-winning athletes lost their Olympic accreditation during the week for taking an authorised tourist trip outside the village.
Vazha Margvelashvili and Lasha Shavdatuashvili, who both won silver medals for Georgia in judo, were seen near Tokyo Tower on Tuesday after their events finished, which Muto described as a ‘clear and serious violation’ of the rules.
At the latest count, 264 Olympic-accredited people have tested positive for COVID-19 since July 1 with 27 athletes among them.
