Olympic official Covaliu: Covid vaccine not compulsory for athletes to attend Tokyo Olympics

President of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, Mihai Covaliu, declared on Monday that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory for athletes to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. "For the time being, vaccination is not compulsory for participation in the Tokyo Olympics. As you know, the vaccination process is in full swing. Taking the jab is not mandatory for participating in the Olympic Games. And things are extremely clear from this point of view. So far we have 59 athletes qualified for the Olympics, we hope to reach a total of 100 - 110. We are waiting for the handball girls, but also the others in fencing, wrestling, judo, tennis, gymnastics ... these are all federations that can still have athletes qualified," Covaliu said. Asked how many of the 59 qualified Romanian athletes are already vaccinated, Covaliu said that this falls under the responsibility of the Covid liaison officer, an aspect that was required by the International Olympic Committee. "The vaccination process unfolds according to the athletes' schedule, to the competition calendar, and is a well-planned and controlled process." President of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, Mihai Covaliu, the president of the Romanian Wrestling Federation, Razvan Pircalabu and Bucharest Sector 6 mayor, Ciprian Ciucu, offered today March lucky charms to the female members of Romania's youth and junior teams at an event held at the wrestling hall of the 'Mircea Eliade' High School of Bucharest. The Tokyo Olympics have been rescheduled from 2020 for July 23 - August 8, 2021. AGERPRES (RO - author: Marius Tone, editor: Mihai Tenea; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)