Will the vaccine be necessary to participate serenely in the Tokyo Olympics?
Should priority be given to the vaccination of top-level athletes a few months from the Tokyo Olympics.
BERTRAND GUAY AFP / Archives
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
4 min
Will it be necessary to go through the vaccine to participate without constraint in the Tokyo Olympics?
The issue will be discussed on Wednesday January 27 at the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which can officially encourage vaccination of athletes, but cannot impose it.
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Voices are already being heard about the decision to be taken.
In particular that of Denis Masseglia, President of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF).
"
For those who do not wish to be vaccinated, it should be known that the precautions for participation will be extremely difficult
", he declared during a videoconference Monday January 25 after a congress of the Olympic body French, evoking a "
complicated path
"
for the non-vaccinated
.
Mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated athletes?
According to Denis Masseglia, unvaccinated athletes could undergo "
a form of quarantine, a fortnight
[...]
where it will be necessary to do a battery of tests
".
A situation that could resemble what tennis players are experiencing, currently stranded in their hotel, in quarantine, in Australia, before the Grand Slam in Melbourne.
Seventy-two players are banned from leaving their rooms for two weeks, after cases of Covid-19 were detected on their plane to Australia.
The other participants have an exit authorization for five hours a day to be able to train on condition that they do not undergo a positive PCR test and not be in contact.
The lack of vaccines currently in the world could cause an uproar if athletes, in principle in good health, pass people at risk.
Yet this is what pleads the former vice-president of the IOC, the Canadian Dick Pound who says he is in favor of such a measure so that the Olympics can take place.
"
It's a decision that every country must take,
" he said on Sky Sports last week.
“
Some would say they're skipping the line, but I think it's the most realistic way to go forward.
"
Not enough vaccines for people at risk
The World Health Organization recalled that there was already not enough vaccines for people at risk.
"
It's not a problem with the Olympics, it's more about how to use a scarce resource to fight one of the most devastating health crises in our history,
" said Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director General. of the WHO.
The postponement of vaccine deliveries to parts of the world should also not facilitate the rather complex equation of immunizing athletes.
In France, Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said she was "
waiting
" for a clear decision from the sports movement on the issue, "
whether it be international federations or the IOC
".
Eleven thousand athletes have to go to the Japanese capital, without counting the guides, volunteers and the world press.
During the 2012 edition in London, 21,000 journalists and technicians were on hand to cover the event.
The Olympics were broadcast in over 200 countries, reaching a global audience of nearly five billion viewers.
Russia plans to vaccinate its athletes
For some, vaccination seems to be a necessary step to facilitate the holding of the Olympics, always in danger.
Paul Tergat, head of the Kenyan Olympic committee, "
wishes
" that all those going to Tokyo get vaccinated early enough for them to be reassured.
“
The sooner, the better,
” said the former specialist in cross-country races.
Ditto in Australia, where the Olympic committee “
encourages
” athletes to be vaccinated, and negotiates with the authorities, so that they can prepare for the Olympics “
safely
”.
Russia has planned to "
vaccinate athletes of national teams, including youth and junior teams
", according to the Russian Sports Ministry, specifying that "
voluntary
"
vaccination
would be a priority for those "
who are preparing to participate
" in Tokyo Olympics.
But if it is necessary to vaccinate all participants, another question arises: which vaccine will be considered valid in Tokyo?
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