Athletes who are qualified to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in July or who are about to compete in qualifiers overseas would be on the priority list for vaccination against COVID-19, the Sports Administration said on Thursday.
Taiwan has 31 athletes qualified to compete in nine categories at the Olympic Games, the agency said, adding that the nation has yet to secure qualifications in 13 categories, including judo, karate and weightlifting.
Agency officials and representatives from the nation’s Olympic Committee and National Sports Training Center have met with officials from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Wednesday, Sports Administration Deputy Director-General Hung Chih-chang (洪志昌) said, adding that they discussed major issues.
First, the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has asked each national team to assign a disease-prevention coordinator, who would be in charge of handling operations when athletes undergo polymerase chain reaction tests every four days during the Games, Hung said.
The coordinator must be able to travel to Tokyo with the national team and be involved in preparatory work, he said, adding that the sports agency has asked the CDC to recommend the person best suited for the position.
Second, on the issue of vaccination, Hung said the sports agency hopes that the CDC would dispatch in the second half of this month a doctor to the National Sports Training Center to explain to athletes and coaches the types of vaccines available and their possible side effects.
Coaches and athletes could then decide if they want to be vaccinated, Hung said, adding that the sports agency would respect their decisions.
“Athletes who are already qualified to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as those who are to travel overseas to compete in qualifiers, would be on the priority list for vaccination. The CDC has also agreed that athletes on the priority list that we have proposed would all be vaccinated, regardless of the number of athletes,” he said.
As athletes can only receive the second dose eight to 12 weeks after receiving the first dose, Hung said the sports agency hopes the athletes can start receiving their first doses next month or in May and get their second doses in June or July.
This would ensure that athletes complete their vaccinations before the Olympic Games begin, he said.
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