More woes for the Tokyo Olympics see all spectators banned, and Fiji’s team arriving in a cargo plane full of fish
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics has already encountered unprecedented problems, well before the Olympic torch arrives in town. They are the first Olympic Games to be postponed and rescheduled (by a year) due to the pandemic, and then foreign spectators were officially banned.
Related: It’s official: Japan won’t allow overseas visitors to attend Tokyo Olympics
The latest outbreak of the COVID-19 forced officials to ban all spectators from attending most Olympic events and declare a state of emergency.
Some Olympic events held outside of covid hotspots like Tokyo may be able to host a small number of local spectators, though this year’s Olympics will look very little like what is traditionally a global celebration of sport.
Sign up to receive the daily TPG newsletter for more travel information!
Most of Japan’s population has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and despite strict safety measured and entry conditions, health experts fear the flood of athletes and support staff from virtually every country in the world, could become a superspreader event.
For some countries dealing with their own virus outbreaks, just getting to Japan to compete has taken an Olympian effort. In this regard, Fiji’s Olympic squad may have earned a gold medal for how it managed to make the journey to Tokyo. You see, the team was forced to make the trip Thursday night on a freight plane, alongside crates of frozen fish.
That’s right. Frozen fish.
The reason why Team Fiji had to fly cargo was simply that it was next to impossible to get a flight out of their home country at the moment. Fiji has been hit especially hard by the Delta variant of the virus. According to the New York Times, Fiji has been recording an average of 57 new COVID cases each day per 100,000.
Making matters worse, just six percent of residents have been fully vaccinated.
To help contain the spread of the virus, nearly all commercial flights out of Fiji have been suspended until the end of July. The Olympics begin July 23, so the Olympic squad had to scramble to make the games.
Around midnight Thursday, around 50 athletes and officials from Fiji, including the men’s and women’s rugby sevens squads, packed onto a cargo plane leaving from Nadi International Airport (NAN), Fiji’s primary air hub, bound for Tokyo and a shot at Olympic glory. It’s fairly certain they are the only Olympic squad that had to share cabin space with crates of fish.
Before they boarded the flight, team members had to spend 96 hours in isolation and take PCR tests 72 hours before their departure, to adhere to the protocols set by officials in Tokyo.
One official with the Fiji Olympic team tested positive and could not make the trip.
Fiji’s athletes are competing in six events at the Summer Games, including archery, judo and table tennis. The men’s rugby unit will be looking to defend the gold medal they won back in 2016, the first Olympic medal in Fiji’s history.
If that happens, let’s hope they are able to book a regular commercial flight back home.
Featured image by: Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.