December 18, (THEWILL) – FINA has verified positive tests for seven certified swimmers who competed in the FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi this week, specifically in testing on December 15 including a Nigerian.
However, due to contact tracing regulations, a number of additional competitors have been eliminated from the competition as a result of those seven positive tests.
Individuals with positive COVID-19 criteria were “removed from the event and placed in strict quarantine,” according to a statement made by FINA on Thursday evening. For athletes, this implies they are out of the competition.
A negative PCR test had to be taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival for anyone entering the UAE. Upon arrival, anyone entering the nation were required to submit a second negative PCR test result.
So far, four of them have been Singaporean athletes, therefore disqualifying the whole delegation. According to a federation statement, those who tested positive were confined, while those who tested negative were allowed to return to Singapore.
According to the statement, at least one of the people who tested positive at the World Championships is a Nigerian administrator, which has resulted in the elimination of all four Nigerian athletes from the competition.
All these came despite the fact that one of those athletes, American-trained Philip Adejumo, claimed he had no interaction with that person and had tested negative several times since landing in Abu Dhabi.
When Adejumo questioned FINA why he had been contact traced when he had not seen the person who had tested positive, he was told that everyone from Team Nigeria had been placed as a contact trace. Adejumo claims the person tested positive and was isolated before he arrived in Abu Dhabi, making contact impossible.
Adejumo also claims to have been vaccinated and given a booster shot.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
