Japan to start COVID-19 vaccinations for Olympic athletes from June 1

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Japan will start COVID-19 vaccinations for its nearly 600 Olympic athletes, along with some 1,000 coaches and support staff, from June 1, local media reported on Wednesday.

The voluntary mass vaccination will give Japanese athletes time to be fully vaccinated before the Olympics start on July 23, Kyodo News reported.

The doses will be administered at the National Training Center in Tokyo.

Vaccines were made available to all Olympic participants as part of a deal between the International Olympic Committee and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer earlier this month, the report said.

Seiko Hashimoto, president of the organizing committee, said one person flying into Japan for an Olympic test event tested positive at an airport in late April, but there have been no other cases detected so far.

Initially scheduled for July last year, the 2020 Olympic games were among a host of sports events postponed worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The games are scheduled to take place from July 23 to Aug. 8 but without foreign spectators due to safety measures.