Japan to vaccinate Olympic athletes and coaches before Tokyo Games
- Local media said around 2,500 people, including athletes and coaches, would be vaccinated
- Japan’s government had previously denied it was considering a plan to vaccinate athletes ahead of the general population
Japan plans to vaccinate its Olympic athletes before the Tokyo Games, domestic media reported on Wednesday, a move that would place them ahead of the general population as the government faces pressure over a slow roll-out.
There was no immediate comment from Olympic organisers or Japan’s Olympic Committee on the reports in the Nikkei and Yomiuri newspaper dailies, which did not name their sources.
The newspapers said around 2,500 people, including athletes and coaches, would be vaccinated, with Japanese sports federations in charge of administering the jabs.
Japan’s government had previously denied it was considering a plan to vaccinate athletes ahead of the general population.
Earlier this month, US drug giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced a deal with the International Olympic Committee to provide vaccines for competitors and staff at the Tokyo Games.
They said initial doses for participating delegations would begin at the end of May, without specifying which teams would be involved.
Japan has so far only approved the Pfizer jab and the government has faced pressure over the comparatively slow roll-out of its inoculation campaign as Tokyo and other areas battle new virus emergencies.
For now, only medical workers and the elderly are eligible for jabs, with no timeline yet set for the general population to receive them.