TOKYO: About 95 pct of members of Japan’s Tokyo Olympics delegation plan to get jabs against the novel coronavirus in the run-up to the event, Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita said Thursday.

Coronavirus inoculations for the Japanese delegation began Tuesday, with 1,600 people, including athletes and coaches, eligible. Yamashita himself received his first shot on Thursday.

Yamashita told a press conference that holding the Tokyo Games this summer and having athletes show their devoted efforts will have a positive effect on Japanese society.

“I want to deliver a powerful message to the athletes that there is no need for them to feel guilty (about the games being held)” despite opposition among experts, the general public and others to pushing ahead with the event amid the pandemic, he said.

On Wednesday, Shigeru Omi, who heads the government’s COVID-19 task force, said that it would “not be normal” to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics amid the health crisis. Referring to the comment, Yamashita said, “We need to make more efforts in order not to put burdens (on people).”

JIJI Press