Sir Mo Farah: Athletes told they will be vaccinated ahead of Olympics
The Olympics Games were delayed last year due to coronavirus and are scheduled for July 23 to August 8. Japan recently declared a one-month state of emergency for Tokyo and three nearby prefectures following a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases.
By PA Media
Last Updated: 26/01/21 1:20pm
Sir Mo Farah believes the Olympic Games will go ahead this summer and says athletes have been told they will receive vaccinations against Covid-19.
Farah, who has won 5,000 and 10,000 metres gold at each of the last two Games in London and Rio, has previously said he is targeting success in the longer distance only in Tokyo.
However, the Games are again under threat from the coronavirus pandemic, which were originally postponed by 12 months in March last year.
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The idea of vaccinating athletes has been floated by International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound, and Farah told talkSPORT: "I think most people in a career want to go to an Olympics and take part in an Olympics.
"The key thing is to stay safe and see what the country can do. What they have said to us is basically everyone will be able to get Covid injections and after that it's less risk of spreading the disease, and then from there just see what happens and take one day at a time.
"I think [the Games] will go ahead but at the same time, for me I have had the experience of taking part in three Olympics and I have to see it as another race and see what happens."
It is understood the British Olympic Association is not involved in any active conversations with the Government in regard to vaccinating athletes, and its chief executive Andy Anson told the PA news agency earlier this month: "The priority has to be the people who need it most - frontline workers, the elderly and the vulnerable.
"There will come a time, hopefully ahead of the Olympic Games when the athletes can be considered for vaccination, but we'll only do that when it's appropriate."
Team GB chef de mission Mark England remains confident the games will go ahead, speaking to Sky Sports recently he said: "We are hugely confident of the Games going ahead in the summer, the Prime Minister of Japan has commented the Games will go ahead, the IOC are very confident in their planning for the Games to go ahead."
"There is nothing we are hearing that suggests the Games won't go ahead. We are full steam ahead, planning to embark on Japan from the middle of July and that is our focus of attention."
IOC president Thomas Bach has previously said there is "no reason whatsoever" to further delay the Games, which are due to start on July 23.
