Olympic athletes WON’T need Covid-19 vaccine to participate in Tokyo 2020 games, organisers reveal

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 – which are due to begin on July 23.

Guidelines in place for athletes and officials include that the travelling party must be tested 72 hours 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.

There have been growing fears over the Olympics not taking place amid the ongoing crisis

And those in attendance at events must support athletes competing by clapping only and not singing or chanting.  

While testing was the main topic regarding measures in Tokyo, the travelling party were warned that they must stay in their bio-secure bubble throughout the Games.

Those involved at the Tokyo Games cannot ‘visit tourist areas, shops, restaurants or bars, or gyms’ and must avoid public transport at all costs.

And finally, athletes and officials 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.

‘Tokyo is the best prepared city we have ever seen. Venues were all completed a while ago and the planning was well in place and extremely detailed at the time we had to postpone the Games.’ 

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.

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori is very confident that the Games will go ahead as normal