USOPC: American hopefuls for Beijing Games must have vaccine

Colorado Springs, Sept. 23 (BNA): US athletes trying to hold the Winter Olympics will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 under a groundbreaking new policy announced by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Starting November 1, the USOPC will require employees, athletes and others who use training centers and other USOPC facilities to be vaccinated, the AP reports.

This requirement, she said, “will also apply to the entire USA delegation to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the future.”

According to the team’s website, athletes will have to show proof of vaccination by December 1. The United States is expected to send about 240 athletes to the Winter Olympics, though the mandate will affect hundreds more — anyone who hopes to make up the final team.

The IOC was encouraging but not ordering vaccinations for athletes who participated in the Summer Olympics. With this guidance, most National Olympic Committees, including the USOPC, have followed suit by strongly recommending but not requiring vaccines. Next month, the IOC’s first “handbook” is due to be released, a pamphlet providing health and other guidelines for the Winter Games.

Earlier this year, about 83% of the more than 600 U.S. athletes who qualified for Tokyo got the shots in time for the Summer Games, according to the USOPC Final Count. The International Olympic Committee has estimated that about 85% of all athletes in the Olympic Village have been vaccinated.

There have been some Americans, including golfer Bryson DeChambeau and swimmer Michael Andrew, who have spoken candidly about not getting shot. DeChambeau tested positive shortly before he flew to Japan and missed matches, while Andrew said he had COVID-19 previously and was not planning to get vaccinated.

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Hirschland said in her letter that the USOPC had hoped to have many of the COVID-19 restrictions lifted by the end of the Tokyo Games.

“The stark truth is that this pandemic is not over yet,” she wrote. “This move will increase our ability to create a safe and productive environment for athletes and staff on Team USA, and allow us to restore consistency in the planning, preparation and service of athletes.”

Hirschland said there will be a process for athletes to apply for an exemption.

USOPC policy deviates from that of other US sports organizations, including the NFL and NBA, which do not have mandates. The NHL does not, although it does have strict protocols for non-vaccinated players, including provisions that allow teams to suspend non-vaccinated players if they miss games due to COVID-19 or virus-related travel restrictions.

The NHL has an agreement to allow some of its players to compete in the Olympics.

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