Irish teams for Olympics and Paralympics to receive Covid-19 vaccinations

The tone of the intervention stood out as much as the timing, the donation and now ready availability of vaccines for all Irish athletes and support staff travelling to the Tokyo Olympics this summer being welcomed on both fronts.

It follows several weeks of background talks between the international Olympic committee (IOC), the Japanese government, and Pfizer Biontech - the latter on Thursday agreeing to donate doses of the companies’ Covid-19 vaccine to all Games participants from national Olympic and Paralympic committees around the world.

With the Irish Government also approving and welcoming the agreement, the Olympic federation of Ireland (OFI) and Paralympics Ireland will now begin the roll-out of the vaccinations in advance of the Tokyo Olympics, which begin on July 23rd, and the Tokyo Paralympics, which begin on August 24th.

It will be a limited but somewhat complex process, given some sports, including athletics, have a cut-off date for qualification as late as June 29th. OCI chief executive Peter Sherrard outlined to The Irish Times how and when that process will begin, with 11 weeks still to go before the opening ceremony in Tokyo.

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“I would imagine we’d be starting within the next week, we have five doctors on our team medical staff happy to help, there’s opportunities for support within our own system, the Government are also saying they’re happy and welcoming of the news, so there are no obstacles in the way.

“The intention is to administer the double-dose, with our first group of athletes due to depart in early July. It’s a narrow window, but it’s open now, and we know from surveying our own athletes, there was a high degree of desire to get the vaccination, while all sharing the desire to get the most vulnerable in society vaccinated first, those over the age of 60 - which given the stage we’re at now puts things in a different context.

“So it’s certainly a really significant boost for the athletes, in terms of timing, and also being in addition to any national agreements that have already been struck between governments and Pfizer. And it’s all supplementary, and won’t affect the delivery pattern. It’s complex enough, but pencils are being sharpened with regard to who is really going to the Games, in most sports, so I think we can handle it, even if some sports have a little less clarity than others.”

An IOC statement also noted that these additional doses will not be taken out of existing programmes, but in addition to existing quotas and planned deliveries around the world, “not only to contribute to the safe environment of the Games, but also out of respect for the residents of Japan”.

There are currently 67 Irish athletes, across 13 sports, qualified for the Tokyo Games, with at least another dozen currently in qualifying quota positions. Sherrard added: “It has been quite a stressful matter for the Olympic athletes preparing for Tokyo, especially at this juncture from the Games, some having to travel away for competition. When they know unfortunately that a positive diagnosis could, not always, but could potentially rule them out of travelling to the Games, if they were unable to get a negative PCR test in order to fly, let alone get into Japan.

“So it’s very, very welcomed for athletes, and even from my own point of view, Sport Ireland’s point of view, there is that duty of care as well, among other challenges, but of course these Games will still be very challenging, and will still be operating with the highest of safety standards around Covid-19.

“We’re hugely grateful to the IOC for taking this on, trying to make it happen, against a lot of odds which are still there. But it’s very significant and a very practical help to have vaccines available at this juncture, to provide some relief.”

Despite the donation, vaccination is not being made mandatory for athletes or accredited staff travelling to Tokyo: “I think we will have covered the vast, vast majority of people who are travelling to the Games,” said Sherrard.

“Athletes are all over the world, training in different places. So we have a long list, already, but that is narrowing, the focus is there in most sports, who have produced their numbers already.

“Between ourselves, and Paralympics Ireland, we’re talking about a delegation of low hundreds overall, we can manage that, again all supplementary to the national vaccine process, and even with that it’s a fraction of a per cent of what it would be on a weekly basis. It’s great that it’s coming from that other pool.”

Several countries, including Australia and China, had already announced plans to have all their athletes vaccinated in advance of Tokyo.

Olympic Federation of Ireland president Sarah Keane welcomed the decision, highlighting the increased level of safety it will ensure to all athletes and officials set to travel: "over recent months we have been very conscious of the wider issues around us in society and were working intensely to advocate for vaccination of the team at the appropriate time when those most vulnerable in society had come first."

IOC president Thomas Bach added the “vaccine is another tool in our toolbox of measures to help make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all participants, and to show solidarity with our gracious Japanese hosts.”