IOC insists athletes must sign Covid-19 waiver ahead of Olympics this summer… with stars set to receive both doses of the Pfizer vaccine ahead of Tokyo Games
The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2021 organisers will require athletes at this summer’s Games to sign a waiver and assume all risk related to Covid-19 during the Olympics.
Similar forms have been signed by athletes at previous Games, but this year’s document has been updated to include references to Covid-19.
The waiver for the Tokyo Games states that athletes participate at their own risk, including ‘serious bodily injury or even death’ due to the transmission of Covid-19.
The IOC will require athletes at this summer’s Games to sign a waiver related to Covid-19
Athletes are set to receive both doses of the Pfizer vaccine before the Games start on July 23
Athletes are set to receive both doses of the Pfizer vaccine before the Games start on July 23, in the hope it will protect them against both catching and transmitting the virus.
The IOC’s chief operating officer Lana Haddad told Yahoo Sports that ‘entry forms have been in place for previous Games, and have been updated to include Covid-19-related consideration.’
She also added this was ‘to provide transparency and ensure the informed consent from the Games participants,’ before insisting such forms were ‘within the framework of the law’.
The IOC and Japan’s government insist the Olympic Games will go ahead in a safe manner
The IOC and Japan’s government insist the Olympic Games will go ahead in a safe and secure manner, with participants mostly kept isolated from the general public.
However, Japan extended the state of emergencies in Tokyo and other areas on Friday, having already been under emergency orders for around a month due to the pandemic.
The IOC nevertheless claims at least 80 per cent of people staying in the Olympic village at Tokyo Bay will have been vaccinated by the start of the Games.