IOC bars Ebola-region athletes from some events @Youth Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
yesterday Friday August 15th said that it's
prohibiting young athletes from the Ebola-affected
region of West Africa including Nigeria, Guinea,
Liberia and Sierre Leone from participating in
certain events at the Youth Olympic Games in
Nanjing, China, which will begin today August
16th and run till the 28th.
From Reuters
Athletes from West Africa, where authorities
are battling an outbreak of the Ebola virus,
will not be allowed to compete in combat
sports or in the swimming pool, as it is
impossible to rule out the risk of potential
infection, the IOC and the Nanjing Youth
Olympic Games Organising Committee said in
a joint statement.
The rules will prevent a total of three athletes
from the region from competing in those
events, the statement said.
Those from the affected region competing in other
sports will undergo regular temperature checks and
physical assessments throughout the games, which
begin on Saturday, the two committees said.
"We regret that due to this issue some young
athletes may have suffered twice, both from the
anguish caused by the outbreak in their home
countries and by not being able to compete in the
Youth Olympic Games," the IOC and organisers
said.
The death toll from the world's worst outbreak of
Ebola stood on Wednesday at 1,069, the majority of
them in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the
World Health Organisation said.

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