The Chinese Olympic Committee has offered to provide vaccine doses for athletes at this year's Tokyo Olympics and next year's Beijing Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach revealed Thursday.
"The Chinese Olympic Committee is ready to make additional doses of the vaccine available to participants in both the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022," Bach said on the second day of the 137th IOC session.
Bach said the IOC would pay for all the doses accepted by both Olympic and Paralympic teams this year and next as well.
"Furthermore, for each of these additional doses, the IOC will pay for two additional doses that will be made available to the population in the respective country according to their needs," Bach said.
With its vaccination program dogged by delays, Japan has not insisted athletes get shots in order to participate. The government has decided foreign spectators will not be allowed to attend this summer's games, according to officials with knowledge of the situation.
The IOC session is the first attended by Seiko Hashimoto as president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. On Feb. 18, Hashimoto was appointed to replace Yoshiro Mori. The 83-year-old former prime minister resigned amid an uproar over his sexist remarks to the Japanese Olympic Committee.
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