Territory's teen players may be out of the AYG tournament as the team is quarantined
By
Leonard Lim
Ms Celia Wegener handing Swissotel staff some games for her son Marco, a member of the quarantined Hong Kong team. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
FOUR more teenagers in Singapore for the Asian Youth Games (AYG) football preliminary rounds have been found to be infected with the Influenza A (H1N1) virus. All are 14-year-olds from Hong Kong. They join a Filipino footballer who was confirmed on Saturday to have the virus.
TIMELINE
Wednesday, June 17: The 18-member team trained in Hong Kong, all were well. The next day, two felt unwell and they stayed back in Hong Kong.
Saturday, June 20: The remaining 16 players and five officials arrived in Singapore.
Like the Philippines team, the Hong Kong players are now out of the tournament while they are quarantined.
At a press conference on Monday, Singapore AYG organising committee co-chairman Oon Jin Teik announced the latest cases, and some new measures that were being taken at Swissotel the Stamford - the designated Games Village.
Teams staying on the same floors as the Hong Kong and Philippine sides have to record their temperatures three times daily instead of two.
Advisories on the latest situation, and reminders to athletes and officials not to travel if sick, will also be sent on Tuesday to all 42 participating countries with teams due to arrive for next Monday's opening ceremony.
Mr Oon stressed that the nine-sport event would carry on as planned, until July 7, although participants' health and safety remained a paramount concern.
The four sick Hong Kong boys have been sent to the Singapore General Hospital, while the Filipino boy is in stable condition at the Communicable Disease Centre. Late last night a fifth Hong Kong player remained in isolation at the Games Village medical centre awaiting his test results.
The others from Hong Kong - 11 players, three coaches, a physiotherapist and a team official - will be quarantined for seven days at the HomeTeamNS Pasir Ris Holiday Chalets.
They were first sent by bus to the Aloha Loyang Resort, but were not allowed inside and had to wait for more than an hour. Security guards refused to let them in, saying they did not have the necessary paperwork. The bus eventually took the group to the other quarantine centre.
With the football competition's second round scheduled to start on Saturday, it looks likely that Hong Kong and Philippines will have to withdraw. AYG football competition manager P. Sivakumar said organisers will decide later.
Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of the Straits Times
