T&T cyclist Kwesi Browne was tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) on Monday after he failed to make it to the tracks for his pet event, the keirin on Thursday night at the National Cycling Championship at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva.
Browne competed in the Flying 200 metres sprint and the Elite sprint events on Wednesday.
However, it was reported that he started feeling unwell on Wednesday night, and he never made it back to the track for the rest of the championship on Thursday.
When contacted President Joseph Roberts told Guardian Media Sports yesterday that, "We have no comment at this time. The TTCF wants to respect the privacy of all of our athletes".
Browne, 26, who returned from the UCI World Championship in Berlin, Germany via Switzerland where he attended a training camp on March 5, where he received confirmation of his qualification to the Tokyo Japan Olympic Games later this year, was said to have tested positive for the virus. It is believed he may be the fifth person positively tested in T&T.
Meanwhile, compatriot Nicholas Paul, who also participated at the National Championships and was also Browne's teammate at the UCI World Championships in Berlin and the UCI Cycling Centre in Switzerland, has gone on a self-imposed quarantine because of the Browne's positive test and told Guardian Media Sports that he is awaiting a visit from health officials who are set to conduct tests on him.
Meanwhile, Douglas Camacho, the chairman of the Sports Company of T&T (SportTT) told Guardian Media Sports that the National Cycling Centre and the National Aquatic Swimming Centre at Balmain in Couva a will be sanitized and closed for an indefinite period.
To date, T&T has recorded seven (7) positive cases from 137 tests for COVID-19 from samples submitted to the Caribbean Health Agency (CARPHA) according to the Ministry of Health's latest advisory.
Health officials have said the elderly and those who have underlying health conditions are the ones most susceptible to covid19, however, PAHO/WHO country representative Dr Erica Wheeler said anyone of any age and health can contract the virus.