Germany to Vaccinate Athletes Before Tokyo 2020

(ATR) The German participants in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo are to receive a timely vaccination offer against COVID-19.

This was decided by the corona Cabinet of the government.

"The Olympic athletes are to be vaccinated in good time before the Games," Steve Alter, spokesman for the German Interior Ministry, said on Monday. He added: "Right now, we expect to be able to ensure that as the vaccination progresses."

The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) considers this assurance an important signal.

"We are pleased and grateful and at the same time recognize this particularly valuable signal of support and the associated solidarity of society with Olympic and Paralympic sport. Now it is important to implement the vaccinations responsibly and professionally in the coming weeks together with all the federal and state agencies responsible for implementation," DOSB President Alfons Hörmann said in a statement.

"The Corona vaccination of all members of the German teams willing to be vaccinated for the Summer Games and the Paralympics in Tokyo is the central building block for a safe participation and a healthy return from Japan," Hörmann continued.

The German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) also welcomed the vaccination commitment of the German government. "This is important and right in order to send athletes to Tokyo in a responsible manner," said DBS President Friedhelm-Julius Beucher.

Alter, the ministry spokesman, did not comment on the possibility of Olympic participants being brought forward in the vaccination order. The federal government is positively disposed to sending athletes to the Olympic Games, he assured. In addition, the government does not want to risk that German athletes and other attendants pose a risk of infection or becoming infected themselves in Japan.

According to the DOSB, the German Olympic delegation is expected to comprise around 800 people. At the Paralympics, 300 travelers are currently expected. So far, there is no compulsory vaccination for participants in the Tokyo Games. According to recent surveys, about 15 percent of the German team has already been vaccinated, while about eight percent refuse to be vaccinated.

In recent weeks, a number of athletes and federations have called for greater clarity on the vaccination issue since the build-up of form and upcoming competitions must also be taken into account ahead of the July 23 Opening Ceremony in Tokyo.

According to DOSB head Hörmann, rapid vaccination is urgently needed. The risk of infection for German athletes is increasing from week to week, he told Norddeutscher Rundfunk radio. According to Hörmann, 35 top German athletes were infected with COVID-19 in March.

The chairwoman of the Bundestag's sports committee, Dagmar Freitag, considers an Olympic trip of German athletes to Tokyo without prior vaccination "not responsible". However, according to the Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician, vaccination prioritization should not be lifted in favor of Olympic athletes. A solution must be found "that I can also represent to the supermarket cashier," Freitag had told Saarländischer Rundfunk radio the previous week.

Written by Piet Kreuzer

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