Olympic athletes WON’T need Covid-19 vaccine to participate in Tokyo 2020 games, organisers reveal… as rigorous weekly testing programme is announced – and stars are asked to ‘clap rather than cheer and sing’ when watching team-mates
- There have been growing fears over whether Olympics can take place in summer
- There has been a recent spike in infections in Japan and across the world
- But Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori insisted Games will happen regardless
- Now Games’ organisers have given detailed anti-Covid guidelines to athletes
Tokyo 2020 organisers have revealed detailed Covid guidelines that will be in place throughout the Olympics and Paralympics this summer in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
There have been growing fears over whether the Olympics will take place this summer following a recent spike in infections in Japan and across the world, but on Wednesday athletes and fans were given a taste of what to expect in Tokyo.
It had previously been reported that all athletes would need to be vaccinated against Covid in a bid to save the Games and compete in Tokyo but that idea has been quashed by organisers.
Athletes are not required to get the Covid vaccination before flying out to the Olympics
As they set out a long-list of strict guidelines that must be followed, it was revealed that athletes are in fact not required to be vaccinated ahead of the Olympics.
Guidelines in place for athletes and officials include that the travelling party must be tested before leaving their respective country, and then again on arriving in Japan.
Furthermore, athletes will be tested every four days at the Games while face masks must be worn at all times unless they are outdoors or two metres away from each other.
The organisers also revealed that there will be additional requirements in place for the first 14 days in Japan, but this is yet unclear whether they are talking about quarantine.
Covid guidelines have been put in place by Tokyo organisers ahead of this summer’s Games
And those in attendance at events must support athletes competing by clapping only and not singing or chanting.
And finally, those involved at the Tokyo Games cannot ‘visit tourist areas, shops, restaurants or bars, or gyms’ and must avoid public transport at all costs.
They need to also ‘avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact such as hugs, high-fives and handshakes.’
The International Olympic Committee will officially release a ‘playbook’ of the countermeasures they will be putting in place on February 9.
Athletes at the Olympics must follow strict guidelines in a bid to stop the spread of Covid
On Wednesday, IOC executive director Christophe Dubi said: ‘From a technical stand point we are very confident for a number of reasons but for all Games participants, there will be some conditions and constraints that will require flexibility and understanding.’
The strict guidelines in place come after Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori insisted that Japan would hold the Olympics this summer regardless of the situation with the Covid pandemic.
‘We will hold the Olympics, regardless of how the coronavirus (situation) looks,’ Mori said, adding that the discussion should focus on how, not whether, the Olympics will happen.
‘We must consider new ways of hosting the Olympics as a part of that,’ he added.