A total of five competitors were due to take part – one each in athletics, judo and wrestling while two were set for the athletics programme
“Due to the rise in cases of Covid-19 variants the government out of concern for the health of the Guinean athletes, has regretfully decided to cancel their participation”, wrote the Minister of Sport, Sanoussy Bantama Sow, in a short statement.
This is the first case of an entire team being withdrawn from the delayed Games in Tokyo.
Meanwhile better news for six players from Kenya women’s rugby sevens team are expected to come out of a 14-day Covid quarantine in time for their first match against New Zealand on 29th July.
“Until yesterday they were confined in a government facility where they weren’t able to train, but they have now come to the village although each has a room individually,” Kenya’s Chef de mission Waithaka Kioni told BBC Sport Africa.
“The girls have been returning negative Covid-19 tests and that is encouraging that no player tested positive but because one passenger in their flight tested positive and were judged as close contacts then they had to quarantine for 14-days.”
Team Kenya arrived in Japan early to acclimatise in the city of Kurume before moving into the athletes’ village this week.
Source: BBC