TOKYO 2020: Oloo issues rallying call after Covid-19 scare

The women’s national rugby sevens head coach Felix Oloo has called upon the Kenya Lionesses side to show mental grit and strength of character in order to overcome the setback that greeted them during their preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.

Upon arrival in Tokyo, six members of the women’s rugby team could not link up with the rest of the team for the pre-Games camp that was scheduled for Kurume city as they were detained in the Japanese capital as a precautionary measure after one passenger on their inbound flight tested positive for Covid-19.

But due to the difficult times posed by the novel virus, and despite the fact that none of them tested positive after multiple tests, that detainment had to be done as standard procedure agreed upon by the Government of Japan and the international Olympic Committee (IOC), “following a positive result, potential close contacts are assessed and reviewed by the Results Advisory Expert Group and will be confirmed as a close contact by the Japanese health authorities.”

After such a setback, it is easy for panic to strike in camp and preparations for the biggest sporting event to be thrown into disarray. It is for that reason that the head coach, in an interview on Team Kenya’s Olympic bulletin, has stepped in to ask of his side to take everything in their stride and maintain a positive mindset ahead of the games that kick off in four days time.

“The biggest part is the mental strength. We have to be strong for them this side(Kurume). It is quite a tricky balance especially having a very young squad. But we have to do what needs to be done. We keep engaging them as much as possible and we have Zoom meetings in the evening. As much as they are struggling mentally, they are adapting to the situation. This is not time for negativity. Even if you see anything negative you sweep it under the carpet. It is positivity all the way,” the head coach is quoted on the update bulletin.

The Lionesses have been drawn in pool A alongside New Zealand, Great Britain and Russia. They play their opening match against New Zealand on July 29th.