Japan Olympics deputy head positive for coronavirus

Kozo Tashima, the Japanese Olympics deputy head, has tested positive for COVID-19 (GETTY IMAGES)

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Right after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that they are following the exact planned schemes for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, deputy head for the Olympics committee Kozo Tashima, was tested positive for COVID-19.

Tests regarding Tashima’s condition involved a mild fever showing symptoms of pneumonia, and later on, became positive for the virus.

“Today, my test result showed positive for the new coronavirus,” Tashima said in a statement through the Japan Football Association, an organization he heads in Japan.

With numerous trips for the Football Association since February, Tashima’s in and out schedule involving business matters may be one of the biggest factors regarding his contraction of the virus.

Tashima explained his itinerary since March and it all started on March 2 after he went to Amsterdam for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) meeting for the 2023 bid of the Women’s world cup.

Next, on March 8, Tashima then flew to the US to support the Japanese women’s team for the Women’s world cup.

“I have chosen to face the illness as so many people are doing in Japan and around the world,” Tashima said.