Latin American Athletes Return to Europe

(ATR) Latin American athletes who are thinking about the Tokyo Olympics head back to Europe to train.

After confinement for four months due to the coronavirus, large delegations from Colombia and Brazil traveled to Spain and Portugal respectively for training and competitions in those countries and across the Old Continent if possible.

As of July 1, the European Union began a slow re-opening of its external borders with entry authorization to travelers from only 15 countries. From Latin America it only included Uruguay.

The list will be updated every two weeks, but the European Union has agreed that each member state is free to decide which countries will be granted access.

A Colombian delegation with more than 100 athletes arrived in Madrid on Monday morning on a trip dubbed "Sport Flight".

For days, the Colombian Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and each of the national sports federations have been working to obtain the necessary permits to authorize the travel.

Not a few thought that the trip could be frustrated after learning that Colombia was not included in the admissions list of the EU.

But the nerves were calmed when the Ministry of the Interior of Spain issued a decree in which from July 4 the arrival of high-level athletes was allowed and they could participate in competitions that take place in the Iberian peninsula.

Among the dozens of athletes who were sent off at the Bogotá airport by the President of Colombia, Iván Duque, were the Tour de France champion, Egan Bernal and the BMX champion, Mariana Pajón.

The athletes traveled in the company of coaches and technical teams, with the purpose of rejoining the competitions in Europe.

Before leaving, the athletes went through Covid-19 tests, so they will not have to quarantine in Spain, according to Sports Minister Ernesto Lucena.

Some were unable to make the trip at the last minute because they tested positive for the coronavirus.

Colombia has confirmed more than 197,000 cases and more than 6,700 deaths from Covid-19, figures that have skyrocketed in the past two weeks and forced confinement in cities like Bogotá.

Spain has at least 158 ​​active coronavirus outbreaks that affect about 2,000 people. With the exception of the autonomous cities, all the communities have detected spikes, the latest in Cantabria, Navarra, Almería, Córdoba and Burgos. The outbreaks have been identified mainly in Catalonia.

Not all the Colombian athletes will stay in Spain. Several of them will connect to other countries in Europe. Once they reach their final destination, they must comply with the 14 days of quarantine.

For its part, Brazil baptized its delegation of more than 200 athletes as the "Europe Mission".

The Brazilian Olympic Committee spoke with the Portuguese government to obtain a special authorization for the entry of Brazilians.

The authorization to enter Portugal was based on the special conditions established for Brazilians who work professionally in that European country.

Mission Europe will run until December and involves 16 sports.

Portugal was chosen as the main destination for the Brazilian team in Europe, given that the country is in an advanced stage of containing the pandemic in addition to the good relationship between the two National Olympic Committees, according to a COB statement.

Like the Colombians, they were all examined and tested for the coronavirus before their trip. Some tested positive and were left behind. The ones who traveled to Portugal will also undergo further tests when they arrive in Lisbon.

Brazil is the second most affected country behind the United States.

Brazil has registered more than two million cases and more than 79,500 deaths from the pandemic.

Written by Miguel Hernandez

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