IOC To Cover Expenses Of COVID-19 Vaccination For Tokyo Olympics Participants

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2020) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will cover all costs associated with the vaccination against COVID-19 of the participants of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Monday.

Bach is currently in Tokyo on a visit to discuss with the Japanese authorities the epidemiological safety provisions at the games. Earlier in the day, he vowed to seek that all athletes be vaccinated if the vaccine becomes available before the event.

"We will undertake every effort so that as many participants as possible accept a vaccine for #Tokyo2020. This is the first endeavour. It is not about making it obligatory or a requirement. We want to convince as many foreign participants as possible," Bach was quoted as saying by IOC spokesman Christian Klaue on Twitter.

The priority groups for vaccination will include doctors, nurses and other medical workers, according to the IOC chief.

"If afterwards a vaccine is available, the IOC would bear the cost so that participants can be offered a vaccine," Bach added.

The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed from summer 2020 to summer 2021 this March in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The rescheduled games are expected to take place from July 23-August 8.