Olympic Athletes May Need Vaccine to Compete This Summer

We’re just over six months away from the start of the Summer Olympic Games in Japan. It’s been a long, difficult road getting this global event to take place. The problems haven’t stopped, either. New reports indicate Olympic athletes may need to receive a vaccine in order to compete this upcoming summer.

This isn’t very surprising news. Many of Japan’s government leaders have been expressing concern that this event could end up putting the country at risk. Now is a great time to talk about some of the safety measures being planned.

Here’s what we know about this situation.

Event Organizers Claim 2021 Olympics Will be “Simplified”

The 2020 Olympic Games were highly-anticipated around the world. Japan is known for putting on incredible spectacles. It seemed likely that last year’s Olympic event would have been one of the most impressive in history.

As most already know, the IOC formally announced the Games were being postponed this past March. This group and members of Japan’s government did everything they could to avoid this situation. In the end, however, it became clear that there was no other option.

The 2021 Summer Olympics are now slated to begin on July 23. The event will conclude on August 8. New reports indicate that this Olympic event will be significantly “simpler” than ones in the past. This is in an effort to make things as safe as possible for everyone involved.

Don’t expect to see large, flashy ceremonies like the ones in years prior. Social distancing will be required as much as possible. Specific details on how things will be run have not yet come out. We’ll receive more of this information over the next few months.

Many have been asking about the impact this event could have on Japan. This country has been implementing intense safety regulations over the next 10 months. Inviting people from all over the world to attend the Games in Tokyo seems almost impossible.

Things are moving ahead as planned, though. The IOC is now interested in seeing all of the athletes competing this year receiving a vaccine.

The IOC Pushes Olympic Athletes to Receive Vaccine

The past 10 months have likely been some of the toughest for the International Olympic Committee in history. This group has been scrambling to come up with ways to host the Games this summer. Things are constantly changing and no one really knows how things will look by the time July rolls around.

Safety remains a huge talking point leading into this bout. Many worry that inviting people from around the world will take a toll on Japan. As a way to fix this situation, the IOC is calling for Olympic athletes to be vaccinated prior to the event.

Obviously, athletes are not at the top of the list of most-deserving individuals to receive a vaccine. When considering the situation these Olympians find themselves in, however, it certainly makes sense to see them vaccinated before making the trip to Japan. The IOC released a statement about this situation to the media this week.

“Together with the National Olympic Committees, we will make all the efforts so that the NOCs encourage and assist their athletes, their officials and their stakeholders to get vaccinated before they come to Japan,” the IOC said. “We are doing so, of course, in order to contribute even more to the safe environment in the Games, but also out of respect for the Japanese people because they should be confident that everything is being done to not only protect the participants, but also the Japanese people, by having as many of the visitors as possible being vaccinated.”

IOC President Thomas Bach is making it clear that a vaccine will not be required for the athletes to make the trip to Japan, at least for now. It will certainly be recommended, though. The IOC also claims it’s doing everything it can to get all foreign athletes vaccinated before the event begins.

We are likely to hear more about this situation over the next couple of months. As we just mentioned, a lot can happen between now and July.

Japan’s Casino Industry is Being Put on Hold Right Now

For decades, lawmakers in Japan have banned virtually all forms of gambling. The government here associated the gambling industry with crime. Then, in July of 2018, Japan shocked the world by passing a bill to allow three casino-resorts to open their doors in the country.

Most analysts expected that it would take time for the casino industry here to get up and running. Lawmakers wanted to ensure that opening casinos would not affect society in a negative way. Unfortunately, there have been many roadblocks moving this industry forward at all.

Initially, the government set extremely high tax fees for the future casinos expected to open here. This forced many casino companies to drop out of the bid for a Japanese casino license. Eventually, these tax rates were slightly lowered.

About a month ago, Japan’s government admitted that it will not be until the “late 2020s” that the first casino-resort will open here. It will be years before the government even gives approval for cities to host a casino. It’s disappointing news for the companies hoping to break into the gambling industry here.

There’s a lot happening in Japan. This year’s Olympic Games are expected to be unlike any others in history. We’ll be sure to provide updates on what happens here leading up to the event in July!

Do you think vaccines could help the 2021 Olympic Games take place safely? Let us know in the comments section below!