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Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made the suggestion that the IOC could pay for Covid-19 vaccinations for athletes. He said this during his visit to the city of Tokyo, the host of the 2020 Olympics Games (2021).
He added that fans are likely to require vaccinations to protect the Japanese public.
Some countries have purchased several million doses of the proposed vaccine that appear now to work at a 90 to 95% success rate.
“In order to protect the Japanese people and out of respect for the Japanese people, the IOC will undertake great effort so that as many (people) as possible – Olympic participants and visitors will arrive here (with a) vaccine if by then a vaccine is available,” Bach said on Monday.
Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike meets President Bach: we are strongly determined, together with the IOC, to stage safe and secure Olympic Games. We will not only achieve cost reductions but leave a new model for future generations of how the Games can be organised. #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/Kv9sFC9iUz
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) November 16, 2020
The Olympics are scheduled to start on July 23. Bach said he is hopeful that an effective vaccine will allow the Games to proceed as close to normal as possible in a “post-coronavirus world.”
He told reporters: “This makes us also very, very confident that we can have spectators in the Olympic Stadium next year, and that also the spectators will ensure a safe environment.”
