Tokyo Olympics 2020: Four months from Games, sports ministry awaits health ministry's nod on vaccinating athletes

New Delhi: Last week, star wrestler Bajrang Punia revealed that he has taken the first jab of COVID-19 vaccine, making him one of the first active Indian athletes to do so. The 65-kg freestyle grappler, a fine medal prospect at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, did not reveal when and where he took the vaccine but urged fellow athletes to take the shot.

Punia’s vaccination is in line with Sports Ministry’s sentiment of getting all Olympics-bound athletes inoculated before they travel to Tokyo, but it did raise a few eyebrows considering the government is yet to officially initiate the process of vaccinating sportspersons. Currently, barring senior citizens and frontline health workers, people above the age of 45 and with comorbidities are eligible for vaccination. Starting 1 April, everyone above the age of 45 can get vaccinated.

Last month, Rijiju had revealed that he has requested the health ministry to consider the vaccination of Olympics-bound athletes a priority. As of Wednesday, he is yet to hear back on the issue.

“I have already spoken to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and they have assured me that they’ll take an appropriate decision soon. Some Olympic-bound athletes may have their apprehensions despite a system of bio-bubble in place, and they may have gone ahead (with vaccination). I cannot stop them. It is the concern of that individual and if they have taken certain professional measures, I cannot say much about that,” Rijiju said on the sidelines of the ongoing ISSF Shooting World Cup here.

On being asked for a possible timeline regarding the vaccination of athletes, the minister said, “I am not the person responsible for COVID-19 vaccinations. The Health Ministry has its own protocols. They are a scientific community, and they look at things from a medical perspective. I look at things from a sports perspective. I am not competent to speak on the scientific implications or the timings of the vaccination.”

Rijiju, however, reiterated that every Olympics-bound athlete will be vaccinated before they travel for the Games.

“We will definitely vaccinate our athletes before Olympics. We cannot send them to Tokyo without vaccination. There remains a question of timing, and the health minister has assured that very soon they’ll make a decision.”

Elated with the table-topping performance of country’s shooters at the World Cup, Rijiju predicted that India will send their largest-ever contingent at the Tokyo Olympics.

In fact, if the size of the contingent is anything to go by, the country has been upwardly mobile for a few years now – in 2012, the 83-member contingent was then the largest to leave the Indian shores for an Olympics. The six-medal haul remains India’s best effort at the Games so far. Four years later, a 117-member contingent came home with two medals from Rio.

“We are going to send the largest ever contingent this time. Just a few days back, a number of our track and field athletes qualified for the Olympics. We already have secured 15 quota places in shooting with the possibility of getting one more. It’s going to be a big, confident contingent,” he declared.

“Earlier, India’s participation at the Olympics was only a token representation, but now, we are going to fight for medals. This transformation is very good for the country.

“I am very happy with the performance of our shooters. The fact that India won the gold, silver, and bronze in 25-metre pistol (women) today shows that India has come of age. We are among the leading nations in the world of shooting, and it gives us a lot of hope going into the Olympics,” Rijiju said.