Australian athletes going to Tokyo for the Olympics later this year will be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccinations, the government said on Tuesday.
More than 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials nominated by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Paralympics Australia will receive their shots before they travel to Japan for the Games, which run from July 23rd to August 8th. "We want to see our athletes head to Tokyo to compete and then return to Australia safely," minister for health Greg Hunt said in a statement.
Tokyo, Osaka and two other Japanese prefectures last week entered a state of emergency in an effort to contain a resurgence of the virus.
Australia, while highly successful at containing community transmission of the virus, has been relatively slow at rolling out the vaccine compared to other developed nations.
The AOC had been balancing its concerns over the safety of its athletes in Japan with not wanting to be seen to jump the queue for the vaccine ahead of the sick and aged.
Pressure
"While vulnerable Australians remain an absolute priority as the vaccine rollout continues, [the government] understands the pressure our high-performance athletes have been facing as the Tokyo Games draw closer," said minister for sports Richard Colbeck.
“This will be a very different Olympics and Paralympics, but our athletes deserve the opportunity to compete,” he said.
AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said athletes, coaches and their families would be relieved by the government's announcement.
“This added layer of assurance is what they were seeking. The AOC will be working with our partners... on the logistics to ensure the vaccination of our athletes does not place any additional load on the public system.”
Meanwhile, French Olympic athletes have been given the green light to receive coronavirus vaccinations six weeks before slots are allocated to members of the public aged under 50 in France, the sports ministry said on Tuesday.
Opportunity
“The athletes and coaches who will represent France in Tokyo this summer will have the opportunity to be vaccinated,” the ministry said in a statement.
"This restricted population of up to 1,400 people, made up of athletes and managers, has been identified by the ministry of sports in conjunction with the Olympic and Paralympic committees and the National Sports Agency. "
The ministry added that the vaccinations, for those who are willing to have them, would start this week and end by the end of May.
In France, people aged 18-49 will be eligible for vaccinations from around mid-June, the government said.
The pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics are set to start on July 23rd.
