Japanese Olympic athletes get vaccine shots as general public lags

Japanese Olympic Committee official Mitsugi Ogata said the vaccination of young athletes would not affect distribution to the general population, including the elderly and medical workers

A guard wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus locks the fences to close off a construction site for the athletes' village to be used during the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Monday, May 31, 2021, in Tokyo.

Japan started vaccinating Tokyo Games-bound athletes on Tuesday, the Japanese Olympic Committee said.

The vaccination of healthy athletes comes as only 2-3% of the general population in Japan has been fully vaccinated. Japanese Olympic Committee officials said about 200 athletes were vaccinated at a training center on the first day of the rollout.

Japanese Olympic Committee officials did not name any of the athletes. They also restricted coverage of the event, possibly fearing a public backlash.

Japanese Olympic Committee official Mitsugi Ogata said the vaccination of young athletes would not affect distribution to the general population, including the elderly and medical workers.

“Vaccination operations for athletes are conducted in a different organization from those for the nation," Ogata said.

The Tokyo Olympics are to open on July 23. The International Olympic Committee has said being vaccinated is not required for participating in the Olympics. However, the IOC has encouraged all athletes to be vaccinated.

IOC President Thomas Bach has said he believes more than 80% of the residents of the Olympic Village in Tokyo will be vaccinated.

Olympic officials say having athletes vaccinated will make the Japanese public feel increased safety in regard to holding the Olympics. Opinion polls in Japan show 50-80% of the Japanese public — depending how the question is phrased — oppose holding the Olympics in July.

More than 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from more than 200 nations and territories are expected to enter Japan, in addition to tens of thousands of judges, officials, media and broadcasters.

Many medical officials in Japan oppose holding the Olympics, seeing it as a potential super-spreader event. The IOC says it will be “safe and secure" and always references guidance from the World Health Organization.