A group of 51 Tongan athletes were evacuated from China last week after being stranded there due to the outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19. Tonga, a small Polynesian country, had sent some of their sport’s national team athletes including swimmers to China for training. The athletes were being quarantined in Wuhan, where the virus first originated.
The evacuation efforts first started with the boxing and table tennis teams flying to the United Kingdom on Monday, while weightlifting and swimming athletes left on Tuesday.
Eva Mafi, the deputy head of sport for Tonga, provided information regarding the athletes being self-quarantined now in London. The teams are staying in hotels and other venues that England has arranged for them prior to arriving. These areas will be carefully watched by doctors as they monitor their health.
“If they are all clear, the first load will come home to Tonga on March 7th,” said Mafi.
The athletes’ families were updated throughout the quarantine and about the departure from Wuhan.
COVID-19 continues to impact Olympic sports. Earlier this month, Chief Executive of the Olympic Committee, Takashi Muto, said the outbreak could hurt the games but there are no plans to cancel. The cancellation of sporting events have already occurred, including a scheduled stop of the FINA Diving World Series in March.
The virus continues to spread with confirmed patients in 29 countries and the World Health Organization has declared it a global emergency.