The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday recommended athletes and officials receive coronavirus vaccinations before traveling for the postponed Tokyo Games, emphasizing the need to protect the health and safety of people in Japan.
In a teleconference with national Olympic committees, IOC President Thomas Bach emphasised that the Vaccines are part of corona virus control measures and should be embraced by both the summer olympics games in July and winter games in Beijing in 2022.
The IOC has asked all 206 National Olympics Committee to determine the vaccination situation in their respective countries and regions, in consultation with local authorities before letting their olympians participate in the summer games.
The IOC underlined its position that games participants should receive vaccinations at the same time as the general public after World Health Organization officials on Monday expressed opposition to Olympic athletes receiving priority access.
Despite most Japanese residents opposing the Tokyo Games that are meant to take place in 100 days’ time, the International Olympic Committee hopes the mood will shift when people realise how much emphasis has been placed on minimising the risk of Covid-19 infections through the strict Covid 19 measures put by the olympic organisers during the games.
Tokyo on Monday began a month-long period of quasi-emergency measures to blunt a fourth wave of infections and more than 90 per cent of respondents felt anxiety about the resurgence.
The international competitions are meant to be played behind closed as a measure to curb the virus and the IOC assures the host citizens of maximum protection from the virus while conducting the games.