The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the purchase of Chinese vaccines to facilitate the organization of this year's Olympic Games.

Although vaccination for athletes who qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games had been declared non-mandatory by the International Olympic Committee, the committee announced in recent days that it has coordinated with the Chinese Olympic Committee to purchase doses for athletes who do not have the COVID-19 vaccine.

This dose would be administered to athletes and coaching staff from countries that have not been able to vaccinate their representatives and agree to the application of said dose.

IOC President Thomas Bach stated that the Chinese Olympic Committee's proposal "is in keeping with the true Olympic spirit of solidarity, and in this spirit, the IOC will pay for these additional vaccine doses, not only for Olympic teams but also for Paralympic teams. Furthermore, for each of these additional doses for an Olympic and Paralympic team, the IOC will pay for two more doses that can be made available to the population of the respective country, according to their needs."

However, the Chinese dose must be accepted by each country when it is applied, since some countries, such as Japan, have stated their non-acceptance of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines because they have not even submitted their application for approval in the country.

Olympic Committees from different countries around the world have committed to the health of those attending the games and have announced their vaccination in a timely manner prior to the games.

Situation in Costa Rica

In our country, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) has requested, through a letter to the National Commission of Vaccination and Epidemiology , that the possibility of vaccinating athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which will take place from July 23 to August 8, against COVID-19 be considered.

“This is subject to the reality of each country. We made the request respecting the priorities and the progress that should be made in vaccination,” Henry Núñez, president of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), told the media.

If approval for vaccination is granted, the priority, according to Nuñez, is athletes and coaches, followed by the rest of the delegation, which includes a doctor, nutritionist, psychologist, physiotherapist, and three members of the administrative staff.

In addition, the National Olympic Committee is making arrangements for athletes who are in other countries preparing for the games, such as surfer Brisa Hennessy, to receive the respective dose against COVID-19 if they have not been vaccinated previously.

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Management: Marco Montero