By Olalekan Okusan
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games bound Olajide Omotayo is one of the foreign athletes that is stranded in Italy due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic which is now on the rise across Italian cities.
From Lisbon in Portugal, Africa’s best rated player, Aruna Quadri has been indoor in the last two weeks following the pandemic which he said has affected several sporting activities particularly his return to training after he copped an injury during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Tunisia last month.
Omotayo, who lived in Belgium, is currently held up in Genova. The Nigerian who plies his trade in the Italian elite table tennis league told NationSport from his base in Italy yesterday that he could not return to Belgium following the spread of the virus.
“It was my club chairman that advised me not to travel and I have been staying in-door for the last two weeks. This is very painful for me because I have been in-door without training. It is really hard out here in Italy,” Omotayo said.
Quadri described the experience in Portugal as pathetic as nothing seems to be working in the city of Lisbon where he resides with his family.
“My family and I have been indoor in the last two weeks and this has really affected my return to action.”
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