U.S. Athletes Will Be Required to Get COVID-19 Vaccines to Compete at the Winter Olympics
All Team USA athletes and staff will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to compete at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing next year. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced the vaccine mandate on Wednesday in a letter from CEO Sarah Hirshland obtained by Reuters.
The mandate will take effect in stages, beginning with anyone who wants to enter USOPC facilities or events. "Effective November 1, 2021, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee will require all USOPC staff, athletes, and those utilizing USOPC facilities—including the training centers—to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” Hirshland wrote.
Next, the COVID-19 vaccine requirement “will also apply to our full Team USA delegation at future Olympic and Paralympic Games,” beginning with the upcoming Winter Games, which kick off in February 2022. All athletes hoping to compete in Beijing must submit proof of vaccination by December 1, 2021, according to the USOPC website. Additionally, vaccine booster shots “may be required in the future.”
Athletes will have the ability to apply for an exemption “for a legitimate medical reason or because of a sincerely held religious belief,” according to a USOPC document on the vaccine mandate. Those exemption requests will be reviewed by an independent third party on a case-by-case basis. Unvaccinated athletes will have to follow extra safety protocols, such as undergoing frequent COVID-19 testing.
https://www.self.com/story/winter-olympics-team-usa-vaccine-requirement