Athletes from Ebola-hit countries in west Africa have been barred from competing in some sports in the Youth Olympics that open in China on Saturday.
"Athletes from affected areas will not compete in combat sports" and "it was also decided that no athletes from the region would compete in the pool," the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Chinese organisers said on Friday in a statement.
The decision, which affects two athletes in combat sports and one in pool events, was made "with regard to ensuring the safety of all those participating" in the Games taking place in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.
They did not reveal nationalities or names of athletes affected by the decision.
There were 25 people on the team lists of Ebola-hit Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria.
Sierra Leone's six-name team comprised a weightlifter, four beach volleyball players and 17-year-old swimmer Saidu Kamara.
Guinea's four-name team was made up of two track and field athletes, swimmer Alhoussene Sylla and judoka Mamadama Bangoura, both 16.
The two-name Liberian team included a track and field athlete and 15-year-old swimmer Momodou Sombai.
Nigeria's squad was the largest, with 13 members, all track and field or beach volleyball competitors, apart from 16-year-old wrestler Bose Samuel.
It was not clear how many of the 25 competitors had arrived in Beijing, or why only one swimmer had been barred, given there were three from the affected countries.
The IOC did not respond immediately to a request for clarification.
In their joint statement, the IOC and the Nanjing organising committee said all those in delegations from west Africa "will be subject to regular temperature and physical assessment" during the Games.
"We have been reassured by the health authorities that there have been no suspected cases and that the risk of infection is extremely unlikely."
They said they had been working closely with Chinese health authorities and under the guidance of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
But WHO says the Ebola outbreak is being vastly underestimated, declaring it an international emergency, and has cast doubt on the Olympic restrictions.
"I'd be astonished if such a decision was taken along with us, because we're very, very clear about this," said spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.
"What we are saying is that only two categories of people should not be travelling: people who are infected with the virus, and those who are being identified as contacts of these people, who should be in a surveillance program for 21 days."
The Youth Olympic Games, in China's former capital, run until August 28.
They feature more than 3700 competitors aged 15-18, hoping to build towards a place in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
The world's worst outbreak of Ebola in west Africa has killed 1069 people and sparked international alarm, with several major airlines cutting flights to the region.
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