A group of Olympians from a tiny island nation have only just got home from Japan after being trapped in quarantine and lockdown for over 2 months

• An Olympic delegation from the tiny island nation of the Cook Islands has only just gotten home.
• The team left Japan in early August but got stuck in New Zealand when the city of Auckland went into lockdown.

Olympians from the tiny island nation of the Cook Islands have only just made it home from the Tokyo Olympics following a lockdown and quarantine nightmare.

They left their homes for the games 13 weeks ago, but after the festivities ended in the second week of August were forced to isolate for two weeks when they stopped off in Christchurch, New Zealand on the way home.

After moving on to Auckland, they then got stuck in the city after it went into a two-month lockdown.

With the lockdown partially lifted, the stranded Olympians were able to get off the New Zealand mainland and back to their home islands, which are a self-governing chain of 15 islands closely linked to New Zealand.

Despite finally making it back home, the Olympians and the country's Olympic president, Hugh Graham, will have to quarantine for a further two weeks.

"Some days were good, some days I struggled with being on my own," Graham said as reported by Cook Islands News.

"I also want to say a big A1 meitaki [a Cook Islander phrase meaning everything is good, well, OK and thank you all in one] to the many community services that provided assistance in many ways for our members of Team Cook Islands and those of us stranded here in New Zealand.

"In terms of spending another 14 days in MIQ [Managed Isolation and Quarantine], if I can get through 14 days MIQ in Christchurch then eight weeks in lockdown, I can handle it.

"At least it will be 14 days back home."

The Cook Islands sent six athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but did not win a medal. The country has never won a medal having first competed in the 1988 games in Seoul.