'Difficult time': Quarantine fears for Aussie Olympians exposed
Australian Olympic officials are working with state governments to formulate a quarantine plan for athletes returning from Tokyo, amid concerns about potentially forcing them into a two-week lockdown.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is piecing together a post-Games quarantine plan, likely to involve Sydney and Brisbane, as it backs the federal government to vaccinate all athletes prior to Tokyo 2021.
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Wednesday marked the official unveiling of Australia's team uniform, which includes an Indigenous shirt designed by 2008 Olympian Paul Fleming, at Sydney Harbour.
Australia's Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman described it as an important milestone for athletes, providing further evidence that the rescheduled Olympics will start as planned on July 23.
However, there are still unresolved logistical headaches with shepherding approximately 480 Australian Olympians through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Charter flights will operate between Japan and Australia throughout the Games, with one of many changes to the Olympic norm being that competitors will fly out soon after their event to minimise the risk of coronavirus spreading.
The AOC is in talks with state governments regarding quarantine options, with several sporting organisations concerned about the mental challenges associated with a fortnight of strict hotel quarantine after a high-pressure event.
"The quarantine solution is still open ended. At the end of the day, we're going to have to do what the government wants us to," Chesterman told AAP.
"We'll have large groups flying into probably Sydney or Brisbane, that's where they will have to quarantine. They won't all come into one city, because we're bringing back a lot of people in a short period of time.
"In an ideal world you'd have a facility that is purpose-built for returning athletes.
"But we know it might just be a hotel room for two weeks.
"If that's the case, we need to work out a strategy on how we help our athletes through that.
"It'll be a difficult time. We need to make sure that anybody coming back, whether they've had a great Games or a bad Games, is well looked after."
Precedents do exist, with Cricket Australia securing NSW government permits for Australian and Indian players to train during their pre-summer quarantine stint.
"We'll obviously try to create a good outcome for our athletes," Chesterman said.
"But it (two weeks in a hotel room) is something everyone is prepared to do, if that's what it takes.
"It's still five months away. Hopefully by then, with a lot of people vaccinated and all of us (Australia's Olympic contingent) vaccinated, there's a few more liberties in place than now."
The COVID vaccine will be mandatory for AOC staff travelling to Toyko, but not athletes.
"The feedback I get is the vast majority of athletes want it," Chesterman said.
The federal government has been criticised for the slow pace of its vaccine rollout, but Chesterman is certain athletes will be getting inoculated before flying out for the Olympics.
"We're in conversations with the federal government regarding access. They're confident we will fall into a natural spot in the queue that will allow us to be vaccinated," Chesterman said.
"We take our confidence from having had some pretty open conversations.
"It's not appropriate (to be vaccinated) now because they're still dealing with people who need it more."
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