International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound Photo: REUTERS file
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Prioritize athletes for vaccine so Tokyo Games can go ahead: IOC member

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Clearly a man with his priorities in order, and with a firm moral grounding on what's important and right.

38 ( +41 / -3 )

Over 15,000 athletes from almost every country in the world are expected to descend on Tokyo for the Olympics,

That's a lot.

If you can test them all before entering Japan AND vaccinate them all...then I would say OK to the Olympics.

The UFC is testing each fighter at least 3 times before the fights.

-22 ( +6 / -28 )

Athletes should be prioritized for the novel coronavirus vaccine so the beleaguered Tokyo Olympic Games can go ahead later this year, according to senior Olympics official Dick Pound.

Go ahead? I don't think so, especially since the virus numbers were reported in the thousands here and considering the virus numbers are way past that in many other countries.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Athletes, then officials, then directors and executives, then sponsors, then all members of the 'Olympic village'; the list will just get bigger and bigger.

Anything to make them happen, and avoid cancellation costs.

The greed of the Lords of the Rings on display yet again.

31 ( +33 / -2 )

Prioritize athletes for vaccine so Tokyo Games can go ahead: IOC member

OR............medical workers? yeah, I'm pretty sure medical workers are far more important.

23 ( +25 / -2 )

Monty: "Over 15,000 athletes from almost every country in the world are expected to descend on Tokyo for the Olympics,"

So, those people should all receive vaccinations over people who ACTUALLY need them... for the sake of entertainment. That's more important than human lives in your opinion, I guess.

22 ( +22 / -0 )

The real numbers to be specially vaccinated for the games,  should they go ahead, from outside of Japan, will be around 75,000.   That would include, athletes, coaches, managers and immediate technical staff, federation officials, judging officials, IOC members, NOC members, journalists, some sponsor representatives etc..

In Japan we should add another 200,000, with JOC staff, LOC staff, volunteers, organising federations, judges, local media, etc,

So, Mr Pound is actually asking for 250,000 to 300,000 privileged vaccinations.  All for a 16 day event and a 14 day event ( paralympics) to go ahead.

Monty, testing and vaccination are 2 very different things.

20 ( +20 / -0 )

Nations should be sued for every single athlete prioritized over others who get sick and die from Corona because they were not, and sued in the millions. Hell, not even for deaths, but just illness and treatment.

"Look, we are sorry your pregnant wife, unborn baby, and then parents died from Covid-19-related illness after the former was rejected by overflowing hospitals and she couldn't get vaccinated, but you see, Mr. Skopjje from Sweden is set to enter the javelin event and to make the people of Tokyo safer we simply HAD to prioritize him. You understand, right? If not, that'd be regrettable. Oh, and... how can we say this... we can't really offer you any compensation because, you know, the Games are already over budget and there are no funds. Please cooperate."

14 ( +18 / -4 )

Young, fit folk with better health than most other folk and definitely overall healthier and more able to cope with Covid than the quarter of the population over 70?

No.

The Olympics are not that important.

Spend the time and money fighting the pandemic, not finding ways to spread it still further.

If Canada (or any other country) has 300 or 400 vaccine doses going spare, by all means donate them to poorer countries that are struggling.

20 ( +21 / -1 )

money before lives. Long live the Olympics!

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Shows you all how much of a joke this whole thing really is doesnt it, the olympics, the govt, the mishnalding of the virus, the media whirl wind surrounding it, is all laughable.

There should be no olympics at this time, they should be postponed and held in 2024 in Tokyo if this virus debacle is ever resolved.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

@smithinjapan

No,No...of course first priority has the population of each athlete's country.

(Sorry my English explanation was a little bit worse)

By saying "if they CAN vaccinate the athletes", I wanted to say "if they have enough vaccinations left" to vaccinate them, after the population is vaccinated Because 15000 athletes are a lot.

But to be honest to you, I guess, that if the requirement to participate in the Olympic is a vaccine, I am sure that many countries will set the priority for vaccination to their athletes. Because the vaccine must be done in each athlete's home country some weeks before the Olympics.

And each athlete will represent his or her country.

But that is just a "guess" from me...

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Utterly disgraceful. Obscene.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

Monty: "But to be honest to you, I guess, that if the requirement to participate in the Olympic is a vaccine, I am sure that many countries will set the priority for vaccination to their athletes. Because the vaccine must be done in each athlete's home country some weeks before the Olympics."

I was a bit harsh on you before, sorry. I'm sure you don't put the Games before lives, but even if being done in their home countries (Tokyo said it would vaccinate foreign athletes, prioritizing them, by the way, and also rush them through immigration and not require quarantine, by the way), those nations should still prioritize people are higher risk, not prioritize games and profit. I'm sure some countries will do it, of course, and most certainly Japan -- desperate for the recognition and reputation of holding the Games (won't be their fault it was a failure if they try, though), but that certainly does not mean they should. And hey, who knows, maybe some Olympians will prove themselves more worthy of gold than ever and volunteer their doses to those in need, stepping up while also stepping down from the Games.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Reckless

The Olympics will provide a lot of jobs and economic recovery 

“Hosting the Olympics tends to result in severe economic deficiencies for cities.

For example, London brought in $5.2 billion and spent $18 billion on the 2012 Summer Olympics. Vancouver brought in $2.8 billion, after spending $7.6 billion on the Winter Games in 2010. Beijing generated $3.6 billion and spent more than $40 billion for the Summer Olympics in 2008.” That’s not an economic recovery.

“Additionally, thousands of sponsors, media, athletes and spectators typically visit a host city for six months before and six months after the Olympics, which brings in additional revenue.”

Not this time; foreigners aren’t allowed into Japan.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets-economy/092416/what-economic-impact-hosting-olympics.asp

12 ( +12 / -0 )

I called this three days ago but I assumed the Japanese government would prioritize Olympic athletes over the nurses who take care of Covid-19 patients. I didn’t suspect an IOC member would bring it up in public (maybe whisper it to Suga).

12 ( +12 / -0 )

It is going to be hilarious. IOC will provide vaccines to athletes, some athletes will start a movement like rejecting their vaccines in favor of more vulnerable and boycotting the games, people flooding instagrams of athletes who participate with angry comments etc. etc. Sometimes it is cheaper to give up and move on.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

No. Prioritize vaccines for medical workers, essential employees, elderly, teachers, then general population. Athletes from abroad don’t get to jump the line and thereby risk a Japanese tax payer (i.e. someone essentially paying for the vaccine and patiently waiting their turn) getting infected for the sake of these unwanted and overpriced Olympics.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

In fairness in Canada they are already vaccinating people and by July pretty much everyone there will long have had access to vaccines so it won't be an issue.

BUT here in Japan right now where we don't have a vaccine and seems we might not have them widely available by then this just comes off as an incredibly obnoxious comment.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Yesterday we had Kirin trying to stop the Tokyo lockdown because it would eat into their profits and now we have the IOC and their buddies, the US TV consortium putting profits before life.

Now is NOT the time for fun and games!

Do it when this crazy time is behind us and we have something to celebrate!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Prioritize athletes for vaccine so Tokyo Games can go ahead: IOC member

I don't care what these IOC members have to say! It's bad enough that JT publishes this BS!

Hey newsflash, reality check IOC, the games will not take place this year!!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

What a bunch of cynic cronies are the people at the helm of these Olympics.

They want to prioritize young and robust athletes health rather than the elderly or weak people.

I hope many countries will boycott such event.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@rainyday

In fairness in Canada they are already vaccinating people and by July pretty much everyone there will long have had access to vaccines so it won't be an issue.

You are mistaken if you really think the whole population of Canada will be vaccinated by July. Check the comments from various hospitals in this article where they target fall 2020 or 2021 to reach this goal.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7558379/coronavirus-vaccine-rollout/

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Greed is a virus, too.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Get lost. There's more deserving people at the head of the queue.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

There will be no Tokyo games. A 2 week orgy of flag waving is a joke anyway. You think you win when your so called country wins.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What a joke, Olympics are not a priority to the world! Medical workers, even the cashier down the street have more priority than any entitled IOC entourage.

Also with the whole Uighur concentration camp thing, China is no prize after this either.

Olympics are out for a few years at a minimum with cancellations and upcoming boycotts and were already in decline

That's actually the good news

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Having taken the vaccine, you are supposedly immune to the nastier side of this virus, but it does not mean that you won't become a Carrier of the virus, and infect those who have not had the vaccine.

So this idea of inoculating the Athletes first is downright dumb. They're super fit, and healthy, and by all rights should be the last.

IMO - the Games should not go ahead this year. Athletes just haven't had the same level of preparation as they would have had in past games, so the whole event could turn out to be rather embarrassing, and furthermore bring in an influx of virus carrying persons into these islands, which is thing we need!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

You are mistaken if you really think the whole population of Canada will be vaccinated by July. Check the comments from various hospitals in this article where they target fall 2020 or 2021 to reach this goal.

Fair point, I stand corrected. I guess even by Canadian standards this is an obnoxious comment!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Give them Chinese or Russian vaccines

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Just postpone it for 2 years... and see what the pandemic forecast is like 2024. This is dangerous on all accounts.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yep. Prioritize athletes instead of front line workers because Athletes are out there saving lives and risking their lives to help people.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

From this moment on, I will hate the Olympics as much as I hate any other political body that treats the common person like a serf. May the Games be cursed.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Well. I'm starting to hate all professional team sports, and the athletes of the Olympics are now professionals. It's useless nonsense in societies that should have higher priorities. No one is served by someone making $100 million bouncing a basketball. Only gambles are paid if a team wins. "Fans" are suckers.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Prioritize non-essential athletes so IOC can continue their grift!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

As a Canadian, I am SO DISGUSTED with his comment.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

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