China confirms participation in Tokyo four-nation gymnastics event in November

TOKYO -- The Chinese national gymnastics team has confirmed its participation in Japan's first international tournament in more than half a year, a top team official said here on Tuesday.

Team manager Ye Zhennan told Xinhua, "This is our first international competition since the COVID-19 outbreak. We will be isolated for 14 days of quarantine and another seven days for observation after returning from Japan. That is a tough challenge."

Overseas gymnasts will not be asked by Japan to quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival in Tokyo, but can only travel between their hotels, their training bases and the competition venue.

The Chinese team looks to rebound from their most humiliating defeat in more than 30 years at the Rio Olympic Games when they failed to win a single gold medal, the first time since the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

The four-nation meet, sanctioned by the International Gymnastics Federation and scheduled to take place at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, will be the first international event for an Olympic sport in Japan since the postponement of the Tokyo Games caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The other three teams will be Russia, the United States and Japan, with each country entering four male and four female gymnasts.