Jul 22, 2021 - Sports

Czech cyclist Michal Schlegel tests positive for COVID-19

Ivana Saric

Professional cyclist on a lush green road with a windmill in the background — Michal Schlegel during the 25th UEC Road European Championships 2019. Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images

Czech road cyclist Michal Schlegel has tested positive for COVID-19 and will no longer be able to participate in Saturday's road race, the Czech Olympic Committee announced in a statement Thursday.

What they're saying: Schlegel is "[t]he fourth athlete and the sixth Czech member of the team, who did not avoid a positive test for COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics..."

The news comes just one day ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony, which health experts fear could become a superspreader event.

The big picture: Schlegel is currently in isolation at the hotel for cyclists in Tokyo.

Czech beach volleyball player Ondřej Perušič, table tennis player Pavel Širuček and beach volleyball player Markéta Nausch have also tested positive for COVID-10.
The Czech Olympic Committee has launched an investigation into the potential spread of the virus aboard the charter flight to Tokyo last week, the statement notes.
"Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has described the situation as a scandal and unfair to the athletes," per Radio Prague International.

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Czech cyclist Michal Schlegel tests positive for COVID-19

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