Japan pledges to help Tokyo Olympic Vaccination Athletes
The Japanese government sent a letter in support of the efforts of the International Olympic Committee to arrange athletes competing in the postponed Tokyo Olympics next year for vaccinations, sources close to matter said Wednesday.
The letter was sent to the Gavi public-private global vaccine alliance, headquartered in Geneva, under the name of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, in November, before the British government approved its first vaccine.
Gavi, which supports global health by supplying developing nations with vaccines, is currently collaborating on the COVAX coronavirus vaccine project with the World Health Organization, among others.
The IOC president also touched on the issue during a meeting with Suga when they agreed to work closely to prevent the spread of infections and ensure safety at the Tokyo Games.
Tokyo’s Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee revealed Friday that the one-year postponement of the Olympics will cost an estimated 294 billion yen ($2.8 billion) extra, a figure that includes 96 billion yen for coronavirus countermeasures.
The Japanese government and the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games said earlier that they would not need vaccinations as a requirement for Olympic participation, but said last Wednesday that they would initiate discussions on how to proceed “should vaccines become available.”
Source: Japan Today
