TOKYO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced Wednesday that Pavel Sirucek from the Czech Republic has tested positive for COVID-19 and become the first paddler to withdraw from Tokyo 2020.
"Today, we were informed that Pavel Sirucek has tested positive for COVID-19 and is placed in isolation," read a statement by ITTF.
The news was released just ahead of the draw for the Olympic competitions about to be made in Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
"Pavel (Sirucek) will be marked as Did Not Start (DNS) in the table tennis competition, in accordance with the Tokyo 2020 Sport-Specific Regulations. We wish him a speedy recovery," added the statement.
The 28-year-old male player, who's rated the 52nd in the latest world rankings, had qualified for the Olympic table tennis men's singles event through the European qualification. Enditem
