Ainsley Thorpe is the first Kiwi athlete to be scratched from a Commonwealth Games event due to Covid-19.
The Kiwi triathlete has withdrawn from the women’s individual race in Birmingham on Saturday morning (NZT) after contracting the virus in Spain, the New Zealand Olympic Committee confirmed.
Thorpe, who has mild symptoms and is receiving healthcare support, had been based in Girona for a pre-games training camp.
The good news for Thorpe is her Commonwealth Games aren’t necessarily over, given she could yet be considered for the mixed relay race on Sunday night (NZT), pending assessment by New Zealand team doctors.
Nicole van der Kaay and Andrea Hansen (nee Hewitt) will contest the women’s individual race, while Hayden Wilde, Tayler Reid and Dylan McCullough will lineup in the men’s individual on Friday night (NZT).
Thorpe’s withdrawal follows an unnamed male Kiwi athlete testing positive for the virus upon arrival in England this week.
As reported at the beginning of the month, New Zealand athletes who contract Covid-19 could still compete in the 2022 Birmingham Games, which have far more relaxed rules and guidelines in place than at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Kiwi triathlete Ainsley Thorpe has been scratched from the women’s individual race at the Commonwealth Games due to Covid-19.
Members of the 232-strong Kiwi team, which has more stringent protocols in place than the Games’ protocols, won’t be tested daily for the virus, but will have symptomatic PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests when required.
A positive test will also not automatically lead to isolation, as has been the case over the course of the pandemic for the past two years for the majority of sports teams, while close contacts will be monitored but also not automatically isolated.
New Zealand media covering the games are required to wear face masks when interviewing Kiwi athletes, or while in proximity of them.
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