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Contributions of the Tokyo 2020 Infectious Diseases Control Centre in curbing SARS-CoV-2 spread during the Olympic and Paralympic Games
  1. Satoshi Shimada1,
  2. Chiaki Ikenoue1,2,
  3. Yuko Iwashita1,
  4. Tetsuya Miyamoto1
  1. 1 Department of Medical Service, The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
  2. 2 Center for Field Epidemic Intelligence, Research and Professional Development, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
  1. Correspondence to Dr Satoshi Shimada, Department of Medical Service, The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; satoshishimada30{at}gmail.com

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The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (Tokyo 2020) had set up preventive measures, including rapid response frameworks, with repeated discussion and arrangements with the International Olympic and Paralympic Committee (IOC/IPC) and local and national governmental authorities, using experiences from previously conducted sports games and mass gatherings.1–3 Therefore, Tokyo 2020 established the Infectious Diseases Control Centre (IDCC) as the lead for preparedness and response against SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Games.

Preventive measures and operations of IDCC

Preventive measures for the Tokyo Games duration (1 July to 8 September 2021) were documented in the ‘playbook’ and distributed to all participants, including athletes and officials, international federations, Olympic/Paralympic family, marketing partners, broadcasters, press and workforce before the game.4 Participants were required to follow infection control measures, such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, masking and participation in a daily COVID-19 screening testing programme.

During the Games, IDCC organised (1) daily surveillance and reporting to the IOC, IPC and public health authorities; (2) large-scale screening tests for all the participants for SARS-CoV-2; (3) transportation of those suspected or confirmed of having infection; (4) medical isolation facilities for the …

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @shimadas0723

  • Contributors SS drafted the first version of the manuscript. SS, CI, YI and TM contributed to conceptualisation, content and revision, and final approval of the manuscript. SS, CI, YI and TM also established the Infectious Diseases Control Centre (IDCC) framework and worked toward infectious disease control during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games as Tokyo 2020 IDCC members.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.