IOC opposed to athletes ju
BENGALURU: The International Olympic Committee is not in favour of athletes ‘‘jumping the queue’’ for Covid19 vaccines, president Thomas Bach said yesterday, after some National Olympic Committees (NOCs) revealed plans to inoculate athletes before the Tokyo Games.
Bach added that it was up to NOCs to coordinate with their respective governments over athlete access to vaccines.
Israel’s Olympic Committee said it had already inoculated half its Olympic delegation and would complete the process by the end of May.
The country currently leads the world on per capita vaccinations, having inoculated about 30% of its population of 9 million with at least one dose.
‘‘We always made it clear we are not in favour of athletes jumping the queue,’’ Bach said at a virtual news conference after the IOC’s first executive board meeting of the year.
‘‘In the first lines must be the highrisk groups, the healthcare workers and the people who keep our society alive. That is the first priority and this is a principle we have established.
‘‘The reality is that it’s up to each government to decide about vaccination and access to vaccination. That’s why we’ve asked NOCs to get in touch with their respective government.’’