Joe GallopThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) has released its first ‘playbook’ that says athletes and officials will not be required to receive a Covid-19 vaccine prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The first playbook is titled ‘International Federations’ and is part of a series of resources outlining safety measures produced by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee.
Three subsequent playbooks will be released aimed at broadcasters, athletes, team officials and press.
The playbooks outline the responsibilities of stakeholders starting 14 days before travelling, during their time and upon leaving Japan in order to ensure the event goes ahead safely this Summer.
The responsibilities outlined in the playbooks include using smartphone applications to report health and support contact tracing and following strict control measures, including limiting the amount of time in the Olympic Village and socialising outside the Village.
Although vaccinations are not essential, the IOC said it encourages athletes to take one in their individual counties before travelling and measures will be taken to treat any potential cases at the event with a Covid-19 screening system in place.
IOC Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said, “The health and safety of everyone at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 are our top priority. We each have our part to play. That’s why these Playbooks have been created – with the rules that will make each and every one of us a sound, safe and active contributor to the Games.
Tokyo 2020 games delivery officer Nakamura Hidemasa said, “The purpose of this first edition is to communicate ‘what we know at this time’ to a large number of people in an easy-to-understand manner. The Playbooks will be updated to the second edition this spring as the situation changes.”