IOC Accepts CCP’s Offer of China-Made Vaccines; Team Japan Declines

A woman wearing a protective mask takes a picture of the Olympic rings in front of the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, on Oct. 14, 2020. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the organization has agreed to purchase China’s COVID-19 vaccine to administer to willing participants at the Tokyo Olympics this summer and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.

However, Japan’s athletes won’t be taking the China-made vaccines after the country’s Olympic committee said Japan wasn’t consulted regarding the IOC’s decision. The vaccine isn’t approved for use in Japan.