A rising number of athletes and staff involved in the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games are being forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19, adding to doubt over whether the Games can run smoothly or not.

With the opening ceremony due to begin on Friday, organizers of the Games have reported the first COVID-19 cases among the competitors staying in the athletes' village, raising concerns it could become a super-spreader event.

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Six British track and field athletes and two staff members are the latest in a string of people who have either tested positive for the virus or being forced to self-isolate after being in close contact to someone who has.

The eight in question, all of whom were unnamed, were told to isolate after being identified as close contacts to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 on their flight to Japan, the British Olympic Association confirmed on Sunday.

"The British Olympic Association (BOA) can confirm that six athletes and two staff members from the athletics team, who through no fault of their own have been identified as close contacts of an individual, not from the Team GB delegation, who tested positive for COVID-19 on their inbound flight on 15 July 2021," said a statement.

The statement said the group had been flagged up through Tokyo 2020's reporting service and now have to spend a period of time in their hotel rooms.

"The group all tested negative at the airport and have continued to test negative upon arrival into the country," the BOA added.

Living in a bubble

In total, 11,000 athletes are due to spend time living in the 'bubbled' athletes village in the Japanese capital. Many of whom will come in for a smaller amount of time than at any other Olympics in a bid to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

Athletes will not be allowed to leave the village unless they are going to training or an event. They will not be able to mingle with the general public at any time during the games.

Elsewhere, South Africa confirmed four positive cases, including three in its soccer squad – two players and an analyst. The country's sevens rugby coach Neil Powell also tested positive on arrival in Japan and is in isolation.

It's not just among the athletes that the pandemic is a worry – Infection rates are rising among the general population of Tokyo too, with 1,000 or more new cases being reported for four consecutive days.

Polls show many Japanese people oppose holding the Games, with the influx of overseas visitors it entails.

Dozens of people took to the streets of Tokyo on Sunday calling for the Games to be canceled amid virus fears.