By Joe Apu
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it is committed to ensuring that the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games hold as scheduled.
To show its commitment, the IOC has pledged to support its 206 member National Olympic Committees (NOCs) gain access to COVID-19 vaccines for their athletes prior to Tokyo 2020.
According to insidethegames.com, the IOC President Thomas Bach told members and NOCs on separate calls this week that the IOC and the World Health Organization (WHO) would help NOCs struggling to obtain the vaccines in the lead-up to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The IOC has repeatedly said it will not jump the queue ahead of those who need a vaccination most and has insisted it will not be mandatory for athletes to compete at the Games.
But Bach and other IOC officials, including Athletes Commission vice-chair Danka Bartekova, have encouraged athletes to have the vaccine when they are able to do so.
The IOC has stated publicly on several occasions that it hopes to have many foreign participants as possible vaccinated for COVID-19 before Tokyo 2020.
A handful of countries have begun rolling out vaccines in recent weeks, but there is concern that athletes from smaller and less developed nations who are due to compete at Tokyo 2020 will be unable to access them be- fore the Games.
Discussions have taken place between the IOC and the WHO regarding its Covax project, aimed at speeding up the distribution of vaccines in developing countries.
The IOC is hopeful the WHO scheme will enable athletes from developing nations to receive the vaccine in time for the Games, scheduled to open on July 23.