At least three athletes from the United States and Great Britain were removed from the World Cup in a small swimming pool (25 metres) in Abu Dhabi by protocol to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19. Olympic champion Tom Dean, British gold in the 200m freestyle in Tokyo and American Lydia Jacobi, who won the 100m breaststroke in Japan, will no longer swim in the United Arab Emirates.
Briton Tom Dean at the 400m freestyle qualifier in Abu Dhabi before leaving the competition – Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
Another American, Katie Grimes, was also put in isolation for quarantine – she qualified for the 800m freestyle final this Saturday, but was withdrawn. It was not disclosed whether he tested positive for the disease or was in contact with an infected person.
His cases are the most horrific of a series of casualties due to COVID-19 at the World Cup in Abu Dhabi. 15-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh was another one who suddenly said goodbye to competition.
As of this Friday, FINA (the International Swimming Federation) had confirmed seven positive cases in tests conducted at the Etihad Arena in the competition phase. The incident unit and organization have set up a testing center to speed up processing.
According to the SwimSwim website, which specializes in swimming coverage, most of these positive cases are from Singapore and Nigeria.
