Story at a glance
- Bach said the committee would pay China for the vaccines for any Olympic and Paralympic competitors who need them.
- It’s not clear at this time how many doses will be purchased from China or what the program will cost.
- Bach said for each dose given to an Olympics participant, the committee will pay for two additional doses which can be made available to the general population in the athlete’s home country.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says China has offered to provide additional COVID-19 vaccine doses for participants of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and next year’s Beijing Winter Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach made the announcement on Thursday, saying the committee would pay for the vaccines for any Olympic and Paralympic competitors who need them. It’s not clear at this time how many doses will be purchased from China or what the program will cost, as more than 10,000 athletes are set to take part in the games.
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“The IOC has received a kind offer from the Chinese Olympic Committee,” Bach said during the IOC’s annual meeting.
“The Chinese Olympic Committee is ready in cooperation with the IOC to make these additional doses available in two ways: either via collaboration with international partners, or directly in the numerous countries where agreements regarding Chinese vaccines are already in place,” he said.
“We are grateful for this offer, which is in the true Olympic spirit of solidarity,” he said.
Bach said for each dose given to an Olympics participant, the committee will pay for two additional does which can be made available to the general population in the athlete’s home country.
He also said that a significant number of Olympic teams have already been vaccinated.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. The games were rescheduled for July 23-Aug. 8, 2021. Due to the delay, the 2022 Beijing Games will not start until six months after the games in Tokyo.
The move by China comes as the country has faced international scrutiny for its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uyghur population in the northwestern region of the country.
Over the last several years, China has been accused of arbitrarily detaining millions in internment camps where the minority population has reportedly experienced forced labor, beatings and even the forcible sterilization of women.
Human rights group the World Uyghur Congress has called on the IOC to move the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing.
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