After COVID warriors, Olympic-bound athletes to get vaccine: Kiren Rijiju

Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said that Tokyo Olympic-bound athletes will get the coronavirus jab after the vaccination of the COVID warriors.

"When the vaccination starts for others -- after Covid warriors -- we want to give it to our players first especially the Olympic-bound athletes. First of all, we have to ensure that Covid warriors get the vaccine because they are the ones who protect the society. Then the next turn will come to the athletes, we come at the last. Our athletes are in the forefront," Rijiju told ANI.

Earlier, uncertainty surrounding the Olympics has been mostly about the safety and well-being of the athletes who will be in Japan for over two months. Media reports, insider information and government declarations have all caused a lot of confusion in the sporting world about whether the event will be held or not. One way however, to tackle this uncertainty has been to prioritise the vaccination of sportspersons immediately, especially those who will be making their way to Tokyo later this year.

"Safety and security have become everyone’s top priority, and this summer's Games will be no different."

The Playbook released today is the first of a series of documents that will set the path forward to give athletes a chance to safely compete at @Tokyo2020! https://t.co/6jpVEJhySb

— Japan Embassy DC (@JapanEmbDC) February 3, 2021

Sports minister Kiren Rijiju had stated that the priority in India will be the athletes and their trainers. This is being done in order to ensure there is no uncertainty regarding travel and safety of the athletes, many of whom will be quarantining and interacting with people before and during their respective events. He was quoted in the side lines of FitIndia event saying, “Our Olympic bound athletes will be provided priority in our ministry, but the overall priority is determined by the Ministry of Health”. While the limitation of the vaccination is being felt by all, the government has formed a plan to deliver the vaccine on the basis of priority requirements for different categories of citizens. The topmost in the ladder being healthcare workers and defence personnel.

The International Olympic Committee has stated in its recently published playbook for all sports federations and officials that vaccines are not compulsory for athletes and there will be adequate measures taken such as protocols of social distancing, sanitisation, and regular testing.

Another aspect that Sports Secretary Ravi Mittal covered was the issue of funds. The budget this year saw the reduction of money allocated for sports by around 200 crores. One of the reasons for this was economic constraints caused by Covid 19 on the country at large.” Sports Ministry is not facing any financial crunch, whatever is needed is provided”. He said the 19% increase as compared to the 2019 Budget must be considered rather than in comparison to the events that transpired last year.

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