At least 75% of residents of the Olympic village will be vaccinated for the Tokyo Olympics, ensures the IOC

At least 75% of residents of Tokyo Olympic Games Village “Have already been vaccinated or are planning to do so” before the competition, assured, Wednesday, May 19, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach. “We have good reasons to believe that this rate will rise well beyond 80%”, added the IOC President during an online meeting with the Japanese organizers of the Olympic Games.

Bach also assured that the IOC was ready to provide additional medical personnel for the Games, as many Japanese fear that the event will put more pressure on the health system in the archipelago. This additional staff “Will support medical operations and the strict implementation of anti-Covid-19 measures in the Olympic Village and at Olympic venues”, he continued.

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The organizers will accept the offer, said Tokyo 2021 President Seiko Hashimoto, adding that the vaccination of participants “Would be of great help in ensuring the security of the Games”.

The Japanese want a new postponement

A little more than two months before the opening of the Olympics, which had been postponed for a year in 2020 because of the pandemic, Tokyo and other Japanese departments remain subject to a state of health emergency. Most Japanese want the Olympics to be postponed again or canceled, polls show.

Japan is currently experiencing a new wave of coronavirus infections and authorities are strongly criticized for the slowness of the national vaccination campaign. But the organizers of the Olympics say that strict measures – including the establishment of a “health bubble”, regular tests and the ban on spectators coming from abroad enacted at the end of March – will guarantee the safety of the event.

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The IOC president was forced to cancel a visit to Tokyo this week due to the extension of the state of emergency in Japan, but he showed confidence during his videoconference with Japanese organizers and officials. “The most important principle is very clear: the Olympic Village is a safe place and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in a safe manner”, he insisted.

Mr. Bach noted that sports competitions have been held around the world without incident. He also referred to recent test events in Japan, especially with international athletes, which did not cause infections.

“Athletes participating in the tests had to face many restrictions – quarantine, daily tests, no public transport, virtually no contact with the Japanese population – in order to protect the Japanese population., did he declare. Athletes are prepared to make these sacrifices because they understand that safety comes first. “

The World with AFP