MELBOURNE. – Australia is planning to vaccinate its Olympians against COVID-19 before they head to the Tokyo Games, federal sport minister Richard Colbeck has said.
Colbeck confirmed plans were in place for athletes to be given COVID-19 vaccines before the July 23-Aug. 8 Games.
“We have received advice from ATAGI (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization) on a rollout plan, athletes fit within the plan and we’ll get to them,” Senator Colbeck said in comments published by the Canberra Times on Thursday.
“If our plans work OK it may very well be conceivable that Olympic athletes, for example, we’ll get to them before they head off to the Games anyway.”
Several national Olympic committees are planning to vaccinate their athletes.
Israel’s Olympic Committee told Reuters on Wednesday that it had already vaccinated half its Olympic delegation and would complete the process by the end of May.
The International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday the governing body was not in favor of athletes “jumping the queue” for COVID-19 vaccines.
