Australian Olympians to be vaccinated before Tokyo Games

SYDNEY - Australian athletes going to Tokyo for the Olympics later this year will be given priority access to COVID-19 vaccinations, the government said on Tuesday.

More than 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials nominated by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Paralympics Australia will receive their shots before they travel to Japan for the July 23 to Aug. 8 Games. "We want to see our athletes head to Tokyo to compete and then return to Australia safely," health minister Greg Hunt said in a statement. Tokyo, Osaka and two other Japanese prefectures last week entered a state of emergency in an effort to contain a resurgence of the virus.