Pfizer and BioNTech will donate vaccines against COVID-19 to athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)announced this Thursday that the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech will donate doses of theirCOVID-19 vaccine to immunize athletes who are preparing to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

Vaccination will begin this month to give Olympic delegations time to be fully immunized with a second dose before arriving in Tokyo for the sporting events, which are expected to finally begin on July 23.after having been postponed due to the pandemic more than a year ago.

This is the second agreement on vaccination reached by the IOC. In March, a pact was announced with the Chinese Olympic authorities to acquire and distribute their vaccines before the Tokyo Games and the 2022 winter event in Beijing.

However, Japan then decided that it would not participate in the offer.

Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa complained that the IOC had not consulted Japan about the Chinese vaccines and that Japanese athletes would not receive them since their health authorities and those of other countries participating in the Games had not yet authorized it.

"We have been taking comprehensive measures against infectious diseases for the Tokyo Games to allow participation without vaccinations," Marukawa explained. "We stand by our principle of not making vaccinations a prerequisite."

Now a new offer from Pfizer-BioNTech gives the Committee greater global coverage before Tokyo, since most countries have not yet authorized the use of the Chinese vaccine.

'We invite athletes and delegations participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games to lead by example and accept the vaccine wherever and whenever possible,' said Committee President Thomas Bach in a statement.

The agreement on the Pfizer donation crystallized after conversations between the company's president, Albert Bourla, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

"Following that conversation, the Japanese government had a meeting with the Committee and the donation plan has now been finalized," Pfizer said in a statement.

The Olympic authority recalled that any vaccination campaign must be carried out "in accordance with the vaccination guidelines of each country and be consistent with local regulations."

This Thursday, the Spanish Olympic Committee said that almost 600 members of its delegation to Tokyo will begin to be vaccinated with Pfizer doses this month. Other countries, such as Australia, South Korea and Italy, have also begun making arrangements to vaccinate their teams. In Latin America, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, they began to inoculate their Olympic representatives.

In Cuba, the siteJit echoed the news, although it is unknown if the Cuban Olympic Committee will approve thatathletes already classified who must travel to Tokyo andthe Cuban referees already confirmed for the appointment be vaccinated with Pfizer or immunized with one of the vaccine candidates still in the testing phase.