Japan Olympics 2021: Athletes, Coaches Should Be In Priority Group For COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Panel

New Delhi: With the Japan Olympics slated to be held in July 2021, a parliamentary panel on Thursday recommended putting athletes, coaches and support staff going for the 2021 Japan Olympics in the priority group for the COVID-19 vaccination process.

Voicing concern over the large number of vacancies of coaches, the panel said they should be filled up in a time-bound manner so that Olympic preparations do not suffer, The New Indian Express (TNIE) reported quoting PTI.

The panel has also recommended identifying training facilities, stadia and sports centres for Olympic qualified athletes which have not opened yet. It said the closed centres should be reopened at the earliest or the athletes should be relocated to alternate centres which have opened, the report added.

The department-related parliamentary standing committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports headed by Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe submitted its report on “Preparation for Olympics 2021” to Rajya Sabha Chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu through virtual mode.

Other observations of the report

• Medical staff and other medical equipment such as X-Ray and MRI machines should be made available within select Sports Authority of India and other training centres. This will ensure that athletes do not lose any time for treatment and recovery and keep them from travelling to hospitals where the chances of contracting COVID are the highest.
• The department and National Sports Federations must ensure that players get an opportunity to play maximum international tournaments before the 2021 Olympic games.
• India should host more international tournaments so that players can reduce travel to collect more points and move up the ranking ladder.
• ‘Bio-bubbles should be created in training facilities so that athletes can be isolated in a secure environment and train with minimal possibility of being infected.
• Individualised programmes to athletes capable of reaching the finals or medal hopefuls and also providing for sending them abroad as soon as possible in a ‘bubble environment’ where top scientific infrastructure is available.