One of the participants in the Olympics, beach volleyball player Ondřej Perušič, who became infected with covid-19 during the flight, wants financial compensation from the Czech Olympic Committee.
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The chairman of the Olympic Committee, Jiří Kejval, stated at a press conference that he was ready to talk to sports associations about possible compensations. “It’s not up to me, we have contracts. If there is a legal claim, we will pay everything. If there is no legal claim, there is nothing I can do about it, “said Kejval.
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The head of the WWTP was also repeatedly asked whether the committee would apologize to the injured athletes. “As for the apology, it will not return anything to anyone and the investigation must be closed,” Kejval said.
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He added that the set rules were checked, compliance with the measures during the flight and after arrival in Tokyo. According to him, no mistake was revealed except that some people on the plane took off their respirators.
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“Conditions have not been met. But even in the hygiene report, it was said that it was not possible to comply with hygiene regulations so that it was possible to prevent the transmission of the disease, “said Kejval.
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At the same time, he rejected speculation that he would hand over the wrong meeting schedule on the plane to the organizers of the WWTP. Even the fact that the beach volleyball players sitting near the infected Dr. Voráček did not immediately go into isolation was not in conflict with Japanese requirements and rules, according to Kejval.
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However, he attacked the chairman of the National Sports Agency, Filip Neusser, who, according to him, inappropriately criticized the WWTP. “What Mr Neusser has shown us is the very bottom. He lost all his credit, it’s a complete disaster, the person should consider whether to leave, “said Kejval, adding that he could not imagine further cooperation.
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Jiří Neumann, the chief physician of the Czech expedition, also spoke about the little support from home. “For me, the whole thing is very personal. The preparation was the maximum possible, “Neumann said, adding that the WWTP had in advance, but unsuccessfully, requested the provision of vaccines against influenza and subsequently against covid-19.
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The preliminary report of the WWTP criticizes the actions of Tibor Alföldi, the head of communication of the WWTP and also the covid manager Jan Exner. The report recommends that the WWTP Executive Committee draw conclusions for these men. However, Kejval indicated that no severe punishment is on the table at the moment.
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“The question of the extent of their wrongdoing will still be discussed by the Executive Committee. In order for the report to be complete, we had to state which highest-ranking and locally relevant WWTP employees were on that flight, “Kejval explained.
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According to him, the investigation continues, and genotyping can shed more light on the case. “The Japanese promised that genotyping would take place, but it would take a long time,” Neumann described.
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Dissatisfaction of athletes
Apart from Perušič, beach volleyball players Markéta Nausch Sluková and Barbora Hermannová are not satisfied with the course of checking what happened during the flight. Nausch Sluková was also tested positively after the flight to Tokyo.
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Kejval responded by saying that he did not know what the committee should do more.
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The person who introduced the coronavirus to the Czech Olympic team could have been the doctor Vlastimil Voráček, who has been a doctor of the women’s tennis team for many years.
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Voracek was not vaccinated, as were four other participants with a positive test. The only vaccinee who became infected was the volleyball player Perušič.
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