ISN Director of Sports Dirk Demol has tested a false positive

ISN Director of Sports Dirk Demol has tested a false positive

Sunday February 28, 2021 at 12:59 pm

The PCR test of Dirk Demol, the sports director of the Israel Start-Up Nation, turned out to be a false positive. The Israeli WorldTour team doctor, Dag Van Elslande, tells WielerFlits. On a rapid test and a second PCR test, the result was negative.

Demol had to leave the team bubble to Omloop, just like sporting director Eric Van Lanker and two riders who have been in contact with Demol. So Guillaume Poivin and Ritu Hollenstein did not appear at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and so the Israel Start-Up Nation had to make do with five knights on Saturday.

Two negative tests
After testing positive for coronavirus, Demol and his team decided to run some new tests and it turned out that the former classic specialist was negative in a new PCR test and rapid test. If Demol’s test results, who showed no symptoms of the virus, were negative again today, he may again work as sports director at Le Samyn on Tuesday.

Boivin and Van Lancker are back in the race today during Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Holenstein was not introduced to Korn. Team doctor Van Elslande also announced that the entire team bubble in Belgium was tested again after a (false positive) test by Demol: all test results were negative.

‘Science is not completely conclusive’
“The science is not completely conclusive,” explains the team doctor. “If the one percent is a false positive, and there are a lot of testing, it can happen. We are of course very careful and take no risks at all. But believe me, the hearts of our team leaders were bleeding. Fortunately, Seib took a place on the podium at Ninove. It makes up for something. “