The Paris Olympics haven’t even officially begun and the COVID virus has already reared its head with five members of the Australian water polo team testing positive.

COVID has naturally been a concern in the lead up to the games given that athletes from all over the world are housed in close proximity to each other in the athletes village.

Paris 2024 is being touted as the first properly post-pandemic summer games, after the Tokyo 2020, which was postponed for a year due to Covid, was held largely without spectators.

But the fear and concerns that were so rife back in 2020 are now more muted and circumspect as the vaccination does its work, leading Australia’s Olympic team chief Anna Meares to stress that the situation was under control and that there was no need to panic.

Speaking to the media after three more players tested positive on Wednesday, Meares said: “There have been five athletes in total who have tested positive.

“There is training this afternoon. And again, if those five athletes are feeling well enough to train, they will and they are following all the protocols that we have.

“I can confirm that the whole of the water polo team has been tested as well.

“They’ve been wearing their masks, they’re isolating from other team members when they’re not training, they’re not going into the high-volume areas of the allotment, like the gym and the performance pantry, and more broadly, we have our respiratory illnesses protocol in place,” she said.

She added: “We treat Covid no differently to any other respiratory illness, but we want to ensure that we have our protocols working as well, and dealing with these illnesses and minimizing them is a part and parcel of every Olympic Games.”

While sevens rugby and football commenced on Wednesday, the water polo is due to start on 27 July. It will run until 11 August.