Cris Nievarez's Olympic stint uncertain after contact with COVID-19 case

There is some uncertainty over whether Filipino rower Cris Nievarez will be allowed to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after he was found to be in contact with a COVID-19 case.

Nievarez's competition was scheduled to start on Friday morning, July 23, where he is set to compete in the Men's Single Sculls event. He was drawn in Heat 5, together with athletes from Croatia, Benin, Nicaragua, and Russia.

But there's a possibility that the 21-year-old paddler will not be allowed to compete at all due to health and safety protocols.

"The journey of Cris starts tomorrow. To be honest, we’ve had health issues," a source close to Nievarez who requested anonymity told GMA News Online on Thursday night, saying that the Olympian had been in contact with a person who tested positive.

"We still don’t know if he will be allowed. Tough luck. We can't blame anybody. This is a worldwide pandemic."

Earlier today, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) bared that it was sending home one Philippine coach after yielding "back-and-forth false positive and negative tests for COVID-19."

A separate message to GMA News Online from chef de mission to Tokyo Games Mariano "Nonong" Araneta, though, said that Nievarez is ready for the Games.

Nievarez is among the 19 Filipino athletes set to see action in the Olympics, which formally opens on Friday night.

—JMB, GMA News