Sightseeing medallists sacked

TOKYO – Two judo silver medallists from Georgia were stripped of their Tokyo 2020 accreditation for breaking coronavirus rules by leaving the Olympic Village, an official from their National Olympic Committee said Saturday.

It is the first case since the Games began of athletes being punished for breaking strict anti-infection rules, which forbid team members from leaving their accommodation except to train and compete.

Vazha Margvelashvili, 27 and Lasha Shavdatuashvili, 29, ventured out of the compound to meet “one of their good acquaintances” who lives in Japan, said the Georgian NOC official, who declined to be named.

“When they went outside of the village, no one stopped them at the exit. So they thought that they could go outside,” the official told AFP.

“They wanted just to have a bit of open air.”