Four Afghan athletes have arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Games, Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee announced on Sunday.
The Olympics are scheduled to start on July 23.
Fahim Anwari will compete in swimming, Kmimia Yosefi in athletics, Farzad Mansouri in taekwondo and Shah Mahmood Noorzahi in athletics.
Mahdi Yovari, in the shooting category, will also soon arrive in Japan, the National Olympic said.
“I want to be the first lady to bring pride to Afghanistan in the Olympics,” said Kmimia Yosefi.
Shah Mahmood Noorzahi said: "I will do everything to raise the tricolor flag of my country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan."
“After six months of training in Russia for the Olympics, we finally arrived in Tokyo,” said Fahim Anwari, adding that he hopes that “all Afghan athletes and will have a strong presence in the Olympics and be good representatives of you (people) and our country."
Farzad Mansouri said: "Fortunately, I found my way to the Olympic Games in Japan, I hope the people of Afghanistan pray for us to win medals from this great event."
"I have worked hard and prepared for these competitions for three years," he said.
On Sunday Tokyo Olympics organizers reported the first COVID-19 cases among competitors residing in the athletes' village, as its population swells ahead of the start of the pandemic-hit Games next week, Reuters reported.
The case at the athletes' village, a 44-hectare site built on Tokyo's waterfront, is particularly worrying as the majority of the 11,000 competitors will be staying there.
Two athletes from the same country and competing in the same sport staying in the village in the Harumi waterfront district tested positive for the virus, organizers said without providing further details.
Organizers on Sunday reported 10 new cases connected to the Olympics, including a third athlete who was not staying in the village, down from 15 new cases a day earlier.
South Africa also reported three positive cases in its soccer squad - two players and an analyst. It was not immediately clear if those cases were identified as part of the same testing program.
An International Olympic Committee member from South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus on landing in Tokyo. Ryu Seung-min, a former Olympic athlete, is vaccinated, reflecting the infection risk even from vaccinated attendees.
The new infections are testing the layered testing regime designed to ensure COVID cases are quickly caught and isolated. Proponents argue that the growing number of cases underscores the strength of the testing system.
Infection rates are climbing among Tokyo's general population, topping 1,000 new cases for five consecutive days. Polls show many Japanese oppose holding the Games with the influx of overseas visitors it entails.