Thomas Bach says Tokyo Olympics ‘participants’ may need vaccinations

Thomas Bach says Tokyo Olympics ‘participants’ may need vaccinations
IOC president Thomas Bach with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

Tokyo Olympics participants and fans are likely to face requirements to be vaccinated. This move is to protect the Japanese public, IOC president Thomas Bach said after his meeting with the new prime minister Yoshihide Suga.

It was not only Bach’s first meeting with Suga but also his first time visit to Japan after the Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed in March.

“In order to protect the Japanese people and out of respect for the Japanese people, the IOC will undertake great effort so that as many (people) as possible — Olympic participants and visitors will arrive here (with a) vaccine if by then a vaccine is available,” Bach said.

“This makes us all very confident that we can have spectators in the Olympics stadium next year and that spectators will enjoy a safe environment,” he added.

Bach has two days of non-stop meetings and photo opportunities with Japanese politicians. They will be aimed at persuading the Japanese public that it is safe to conduct the Tokyo Olympics during the pandemic. The Games are to open on July 23, 2021.

A possible vaccine was announced last week by Pfizer Inc.. The vaccine would greatly help the IOC and local organizers in staging the Olympics. There have also been many advances in rapid testing.

Polls have shown that the Japanese public is ambivalent to the Tokyo Olympics

IOC president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

However, all of this is taking place as the number of cases in the world surge, heading into the Northern Hemisphere winter. Bach traveled to Tokyo on a chartered flight. He called off a trip to South Korea last month, after the virus’s spread in Europe.

Some athletes and fans from foreign countries are almost certain to oppose any requirement to take a vaccine. Bach had hinted earlier that it could almost be mandatory for Olympic “solidarity“.

Japan has held some test events recently. It conducted a baseball match with near-capacity crowds of 30,000 fans in some stadiums. It also recently held a four-nation friendly gymnastics meet. The meet saw 22 foreign athletes participating with several thousand fans in attendance.

Japan has largely been spared during the pandemic. About 1,900 deaths are attributed to COVID-19. It has largely sealed off it’s borders and has almost a 100% mask wearing public.

“Our determination is to realize the Tokyo Games next summer as proof that humanity has defeated the virus,” Prime Minister Suga said.

The Olympics and Paralympics are gigantic. They not only involve 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic participants but also tens of thousands of coaches, VIPs, sponsors, officials, judges, media and broadcasters entering Japan. The IOC gets over 73% of its income from television. It is a critical factor in their drive to hold the Olympics next year. American network NBC pays well over $1 billion for every Olympics.

Many polls have shown that the Japanese people are ambivalent to the Games. They are facing larger concerns regarding the country’s slumping economy. And the cost incurred due to the Games is also an issue for them. A government audit report last year said the bill for preparing for the Olympics could reach $25 billion. All but $5.6 billion is public money.

Also Read: Thomas Bach to visit Tokyo next week, a reminder of the long road ahead