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Several countries, including Israel and Denmark, say they will vaccinate their athletes and staff against COVID-19 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, amid the global debate over whether athletes should be given priority in the rollout.
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls.
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Israel, which leads the world on per capita vaccinations, said it had already inoculated half its Olympic athletes delegation. By the end of May 2021, all. will be completely vaccinated against the coronavirus, a spokeswoman from the Israel Olympic Committee told Reuters in an email.
By Syndicated Content
By Mitch Phillips and and Tim Hart
LONDON (Reuters) - World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said there is an absolute, cast iron determination to deliver the Tokyo Olympics and the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines and ability of athletes to train mean the situation is much better than when the Games were postponed last year.
The Japanese government denied a newspaper report on Friday quoting an unnamed official as saying the Games would have to be cancelled with much of Japan under a state of emergency because of COVID-19 infections, and Coe said everyone was still working towards a successful hosting.
Wide-ranging commitment to put delayed Games on 2021 event will look different with COVID-19 restrictions
By Mitch Phillips and and Tim Hart
The Japanese government denied a newspaper report on Friday quoting an unnamed official as saying the Games would have to be cancelled with much of Japan under a state of emergency because of COVID-19 infections, and Coe said everyone was still working towards a successful hosting.
“The government in Japan, the organising committee, the municipality and then the other key stakeholders – the international federations and particularly the athletes – are all unified in their determination to try to deliver a Games that is safe and secure,” Coe, a double Olympic gold medallist, told Reuters in an interview. “It’s a challenge but it’s the challenge that at this very moment all the key players are actually up for an that’s why I have a confidence, with the insights as an international Federation – the number one Olympic sport
World Athletics chief Coe confident Tokyo will go ahead By Mitch Phillips and and Tim Hart
FILE PHOTO: World Athletics Championships - Doha 2019
LONDON (Reuters) – World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said there is a “cast-iron determination” to deliver the Tokyo Olympics, with COVID-19 vaccines and ability of athletes to train meaning the situation is better than when the Games were postponed last year.
The Japanese government and the IOC on Friday denied a report in Britain’s Times newspaper quoting an unnamed official as saying the Games would have to be cancelled.
“The government in Japan, the organising committee, the international federations and particularly the athletes are all unified in their determination to try to deliver a Games that is safe and secure,” Coe, himself a double Olympic 1,500 metres gold medallist, told Reuters.