Tokyo 2021: Guinea gives up Olympic Games because of Covid-19 variants
Masked people walk in front of a sculpture of the Olympic rings in Tokyo, July 8, 2021. AP - Shinji Kita
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
4 min
Sanoussy Bantama Sow, Guinean Minister of Sports, announced Wednesday that his country will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
According to him, the government wants to "
preserve the health of athletes
" in the face of the "
upsurge in variants of Covid-19
".
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For the first time since 1976, there will be no Guinean athlete at the Summer Olympics.
Mamadou Bah (swimming), Mamadou Samba Bah (judo), Fatoumata Yarie Camara (wrestling), Aïssata Denn Conte (athletics) and Mariama Touré (swimming), the five athletes who were to represent the country in Tokyo from July 23 to August 8, will not go to Japan.
Guinea has formalized its package for the 32nd edition of the Olympics on Wednesday July 21.
The Minister of Sports sent a letter to the president of the Guinean Olympic Committee to announce the cancellation of the country's participation in Tokyo 2021. Reason given: the
Covid-19 pandemic
.
Faced with the current health situation in Japan, the Guinean government wants to "
preserve the health of Guinean athletes
".
Thus, "
due to the resurgence of
variants of Covid-19
", the authorities have decided "
with regret the cancellation of the participation of Guinea
" in the Tokyo Games, writes Sanoussy Bantama Sow.
► To read also: The Olympics open in Tokyo, while the race against the Covid continues
Financial problems also mentioned
Another unofficial reason could also explain this renunciation.
An anonymous source close to the government told AFP that financial problems were pushing the country to withdraw: “
The file has been overcharged, that's why the ministry cannot pay.
The Guinean press, it, evoked problems of unpaid premiums.
Guinea is the second country to announce that it will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics due to Covid-19.
On April 6,
North Korea
also decided not to send its athletes to Japan, in order to "
protect them from the global health crisis
".
Fatoumata Yarie Camara appeals to the President of the Republic
Wrestler Fatoumata Yarie Camara did not hide her dismay at this decision. “
I'm really sad to hear this news now. I don't know what to think today, at the moment T, or what to say. These Games, I prepared for four years in Morocco. I dreamed of it, it was one of my dreams to participate in the Olympic Games, to be officially qualified, to be at these Games,
”she confided.
The athlete accuses the blow: “
I sacrificed myself for my country, to qualify for the Olympic Games. I officially qualified, I am the only one qualified for the Olympic Games (in its discipline, editor's note), and I am learning today that I cannot participate because of the coronavirus. I want the President of the Republic to review his decision for me, because I really want to participate in these Olympic Games. It's so important to me.
"
Fatoumata Yarie Camara also mentioned recurring problems with the Guinean sports authorities.
“
I had the medal at the African Games, I had the medal at the Francophonie Games.
I also had a medal at the World Championships.
I qualified for the Olympics, and so far I have not received the rewards for my medals or the bonuses for my medals.
(...) Each time, it's like that.
They say they're going to give me, they're going to reward me, but in the end, I don't get anything.
"
(With AFP)
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