Sports
Olympic Volleyball Player From LA Tests Positive For COVID-19
Beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb from Hermosa Beach will not compete at the Olympics.
HERMOSA BEACH, CA — Beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Tokyo, and will not play in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, USA Volleyball confirmed this morning. Crabb is originally from Hawaii, but lives in Hermosa Beach, according to The Orange County Register.
He will be replaced by Tri Bourne, who will play with Crabb’s partner Jake Gibb Sunday against Italy.
NEWS UPDATE: Taylor Crabb has been replaced on the U.S. Olympic Beach Volleyball Team by Tri Bourne due to positive COVID-19 test.
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— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) July" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/usavolleyb... 22, 2021
Crabb told AP News he was vaccinated and tested negative for the virus before leaving the U.S., but tested positive in Tokyo despite not showing any symptoms.
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"After taking every precaution, getting vaccinated and following protocols, I have tested positive for COVID-19," Crabb posted to Instagram. "I'm symptom-free, thankfully, but deeply disappointed to not be able to join Jake on the sand and compete as a member of Team USA. I've faced adversity before, and I will face it again, but it doesn't take the sting out of the situation."
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The 2020 Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would have been Crabb’s first. Gibb, Crabb’s partner since 2017, is in Tokyo for his fourth Olympic games.
Crabb and Gibb are the No. 1 ranked U.S. team and fourth overall in the world rankings from the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, the sport's international governing body.
Bourne, Crabb’s replacement, is usually partnered with Crabb’s brother, Trevor, and the pair were also in contention for the Tokyo games earlier this year.
Trevor described the situation as “terrible,” and told the NBC affiliate in Los Angeles Taylor is “fine and healthy and should be allowed to play in my personal opinion."
Crabb had recently been under a suspension from USA Volleyball in 2019 that would have lasted through September 2021 and prevented him from participating in the Tokyo Games, The Orange County Register reported.
A USA Volleyball arbitrator decided May 26 to reduce Crabb’s suspension, allowing him to pursue qualifying for the Olympic games.
Crabb had been suspended in 2017 for two years for drinking with an underage girl and other misconduct in November 2015, according to the Register. In 2019, USA Volleyball suspended Crabb again for violating the terms of his suspension by coaching at a girls volleyball camp.
Crabb is the first Team USA athlete to test positive who was expected to compete in the games. U.S. Women’s Gymnastics alternate Kara Eaker tested positive earlier this week, putting her and another alternate Leanne Wong into quarantine, NBC reported.
Per the Olympics’ COVID-19 protocols, athletes who test positive will not be allowed to compete, the Washington Post reported. They must isolate immediately, for a period of time determined by Japanese health authorities based on the severity of their symptoms.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will begin on Friday, July 23.
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