TOKYO: Athletes will not be required to take a COVID-19 vaccine to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, IOC chief Thomas Bach said Tuesday (Nov 17), adding that mandatory shots would be “going too far”.
Bach, who is in Tokyo to bolster confidence in the pandemic-postponed event, said taking a vaccine would be a “free decision” for athletes and others involved in the Games.
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“There are too many issues to consider. This is a question of private health,” the International Olympic Committee president said, during a tour of the Olympic Village.
“It is a question also of (the) health conditions of each and every person. It’s a question of availability.”
However, the IOC will “appeal” to athletes and others to be vaccinated, Bach added, calling it a “sign of respect” for other competitors and the Japanese hosts.
READ: Olympics: Bach expresses confidence in Tokyo Games even as COVID-19 cases surge
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Tokyo 2020 was put back by a year to start next July because of the coronavirus, becoming the first Olympics to be rescheduled in peacetime.
Bach and Japanese organisers have sounded a confident note that the event will go ahead – buoyed by recent positive vaccine trials and a successful international gymnastics event in Tokyo this month.
Bach said the organising committee would take “all the necessary precautionary measures, so that athletes can relax and feel safe”.
READ: Next year’s Olympics will be cancelled if pandemic not over: Games chief
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READ: Tokyo Olympics athletes exempted from 14-day isolation: Organisers
On Monday, he said the IOC would look to help athletes secure shots if they are available and approved.
Australian Minister for Health Greg Hunt said Tuesday the IOC had reassured him “they have moved to secure vaccines for all athletes and officials who would be attending from around the world”.
“So our expectation is that there will be vaccines for all athletes from all nations and all officials from all nations, and they’ll be well and truly ready long in advance of the Olympic Games.”
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