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| On the afternoon of the 18th, participants such as Lee Ki-heung, the Korea Sports Center, are taking commemorative photos at the ‘2021 National Team Training Initiation Ceremony’ held in the auditorium on the 3rd floor of the champion house in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do. (Provided by Korea Sports Association) 2021.2.18/News 1 |
The Korean athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics, which have been delayed until July, are in discussions with the government’s quarantine authorities for vaccination.
We are discussing with the government so that the vaccinations of national representatives can be performed from May, when the priority vaccination for medical staff is finished.
According to an official from the Korea Sports Association on the 3rd, when the number of vaccination targets for each category is collected, it will be submitted to the government’s quarantine authorities and will be given priority through examination.
As of the end of 2020, 157 national representatives secured the right to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. The estimated size of the sports team dispatched to the Tokyo Olympics is between 300 and 400.
However, the number of vaccinations is expected to be more than 1,000. In addition to the leaders and executives, the plan is to go to Tokyo after vaccinating the national training partners.
As the Tokyo Olympics close on July 23rd, the first vaccination will be completed in May and the second vaccination will be completed in June.
Vaccinations must be completed by June, at least one month before the competition, in order to prepare for the final stage smoothly without affecting performance.
An official from the Sports Association explained, “We are continuing to discuss so that the first vaccinations of national representatives can be carried out in May when the first vaccination is finished, such as medical staff.”
On the other hand, the Korean athletes earned 9 gold medals (3 silver and 9 bronze) at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, ranking 8th in the overall ranking. The Korean squad is also aiming for 10th place overall with 7-8 gold medals in the Tokyo tournament.