The Japan Wrestling Federation on Friday announced the withdrawal of the national women's team from the upcoming Asian championships in Kazakhstan after a member was suspected of being in close contact with someone infected with the coronavirus.
The women's team comprises wrestlers in five weight classes who have qualified for this summer's Tokyo Games, including 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic gold medalist Risako Kawai.
The April 13-18 Asian Wrestling Championships in Almaty were scheduled to be the team's first competition in more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic halted the international wrestling calendar.
The federation is looking at alternatives to prepare the wrestlers for the Tokyo Games after withdrawing them from the important Olympic warmup.
Polymerase chain reaction tests came back negative for all members of the team on Thursday, with none reporting any symptoms, but the federation decided to keep them home to limit the risk of infection.
Japanese wrestlers competing in men's Greco-Roman and freestyle will still attend the championships as planned.
