A man wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus pauses near a banner of Tokyo 2020 Olympic at Narita International Airport Tuesday afternoon, June 1, 2021, in Narita, east of Tokyo. A state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and other prefectures was last week extended until June 20 as COVID-19 cases continue to put the medical system under strain.
Staffs wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk in the empty ticketing area at Narita International Airport Tuesday afternoon, June 1, 2021, in Narita, east of Tokyo. A state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and other prefectures was last week extended until June 20 as COVID-19 cases continue to put the medical system under strain.
Mitsugi Ogata, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Delegation (for Tokyo 2020), Chairperson of JOC Sports Committee (Head of Training), left, and Tsuyoshi Fukui, Chief of Mission of the Japanese Delegation (for Tokyo 2020), JOC Secretary-General attend the Japan Olympic Committee press conference, Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in Tokyo.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan started vaccinating Tokyo Games-bound athletes on Tuesday, the Japanese Olympic Committee said.
The vaccination of healthy athletes comes as only 2-3% of the general population in Japan has been fully vaccinated. Japanese Olympic Committee officials said about 200 athletes were vaccinated at a training center on the first day of the rollout.
Japanese Olympic Committee officials did not name any of the athletes. They also restricted coverage of the event, possibly fearing a public backlash.
Japanese Olympic Committee official Mitsugi Ogata said the vaccination of young athletes would not affect distribution to the general population, including the elderly and medical workers.
“Vaccination operations for athletes are conducted in a different organization from those for the nation,” Ogata said.
The Tokyo Olympics are to open on July 23. The International Olympic Committee has said being vaccinated is not required for participating in the Olympics. However, the IOC has encouraged all athletes to be vaccinated.
IOC President Thomas Bach has said he believes more than 80% of the residents of the Olympic Village in Tokyo will be vaccinated.
Olympic officials say having athletes vaccinated will make the Japanese public feel increased safety in regard to holding the Olympics. Opinion polls in Japan show 50-80% of the Japanese public — depending how the question is phrased — oppose holding the Olympics in July.
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