The postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics is scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021, albeit in special conditions due to the still ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. Different conditions and rules are still being proposed and agreed upon and will likely remain fluid until the start of the Games. According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites, 43% of US adults surveyed strongly support the condition of requiring all Olympic athletes to vaccinate in order to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Almost Half of Americans Believe in Requiring Vaccination for Olympic Athletes
The upcoming Olympic Games will still be publicly referred to as Tokyo 2020 despite the one-year postponement. A year later since the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out, many parts of the world are still living under its shadow. Due to the varying pandemic conditions around the world, the Japanese government made the decision to prohibit international fans from attending the Games.
Apart from spectators, there was also the important question about vaccination and if athletes will be required to vaccinate in order to compete. In a survey of over 2000 American adults, 43% ‘strongly support’ requiring all athletes to vaccinate in order to compete. An additional 24% indicated that they ‘somewhat support’ the condition, while only 10% ‘strongly opposed’ the idea.
37% Strongly Support Giving Olympic Athletes Priority To Vaccines In Their Respective Countries
In the same survey, 37% of respondents strongly supported the idea of giving Olympic athletes priority access to vaccines in their respective countries. An additional 29% ‘somewhat support’ the notion while only 7% strongly opposed the idea.
46% of US adults surveyed indicated “yes, definitely” when asked if Team USA should send its athletes to Tokyo ‘if all athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics are vaccinated.’ An additional 26% answered “yes, probably” to the same question. However, when the question was reframed to ask “if some, but not all, athletes” are vaccinated, the most positive response experienced a big decrease.
Only 17% of those surveyed answered “yes, definitely” when only ‘some athletes’ were vaccinated instead of ‘all athletes.’ The number of negative responses also jumped significantly when only some athletes were vaccinated. 14% believe that Team USA should definitely not send athletes if only some were vaccinated compared to just 4% if all athletes were required to vaccinate.
Rex Pascual, Sports Editor at Safe Betting Sites, commented on the unique nature of the games;
“The conditions presented by the global coronavirus pandemic has made the monumental task of hosting an Olympic Games even more difficult. The Japanese government has to delicately balance the health and safety of its citizens with staging a successful Olympic Games – an unprecedented challenge. Should Tokyo 2020 eventually be successful, it will go down as one of Japan’s greatest accomplishments.”
