Olympic Games 2021: Fears grow that Australian swimmers won’t be vaccinated for Tokyo

While other countries have already started immunising their Olympic athletes, Australia’s top medal hopefuls are still waiting to find out if they will get their jabs in time for the Games.

Swimming legend Kieren Perkins has reassured Australia’s new wave of Olympic hopefuls that they have nothing to fear if AstraZeneca is the only vaccine that will be made available to the team selected for Tokyo.

While other countries around the world have already started immunising their Olympic athletes, Australia’s top medal hopefuls are still waiting to find out if they will get their jabs in time because of the government’s slow rollout.

With less than 100 days to go before the Opening Ceremony for Tokyo, time is starting to run out, particularly if the only available option is AstraZeneca, which is administered in two doses, 12 weeks apart.

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There are already concerns about giving AstraZeneca to anyone under the age of 50, which accounts for almost everyone in the Australian team as well as a lot of administrators, but 47-year-old Perkins said he had no concerns.

“As an Australian citizen who’s under 50, I’ve seen the stats and I don’t have any problems taking the AstraZeneca vaccine myself,” Perkins said.

Swimming Australia president Kieren Perkins has no concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“The minute that I’m able to, I’ll be lining up at the door to get it as a private citizen who’s quite comfortable with the risk.”

Perkins, who won gold medals in the 1500m freestyle at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, said it was not compulsory for any Australian swimmer to receive the vaccination in order to go to Tokyo but it was highly recommended.

“I think if they weren’t able to be vaccinated beforehand, it just creates a very different conversation with the athletes about what is there acceptance or willingness to compete and take the opportunity to go to Tokyo understanding the risk,” he said.

“But my understanding at this point is that our athletes are more worried about what will be the process and the plan to get them in and out of Tokyo safely to give them the opportunity to race. I haven’t talked to anyone about the vaccines.”

Newly appointed chief executive Alex Baumann said Swimming Australia was already preparing for the possibility that not all swimmers will be vaccinated in time.

Newly appointed Swimming Australia CEO Alex Baumann. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“We have to prepare for the worst,” he said. “So we have to prepare that the athletes won’t be vaccinated. But it really is a choice for the athletes. We’re not going to make it compulsory. Obviously it’d be preferable to have the athletes vaccinated, we’ll encourage that.

“We are working with the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) and obviously the AOC is working with the government to try and ensure that the vaccination is available.”

The Victorian government on Monday extended its pause on the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the most widely available COVID-19 vaccine in Australia, to people under 50 amid fears of lengthy delays to the overall rollout.

Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said there are athletes expressing reservations about receiving the vaccine, but insisted there wouldn’t be a blanket call for all athletes to get the jab.

“At the end of the day it’s a decision of the athlete, it’s not compulsory to be vaccinated,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “The feedback we’ve had from the sports is there are some who may have issues, but the greater majority are fine to be vaccinated.

Australian Olympic committee CEO Matt Carroll says Aussie athletes won’t be forced to get COVID vaccine. Picture: Getty Images

“I’m sure we’ll sort our way through that with the Government in the coming weeks.

“It’s going to be very important because the athletes are going into a village where people from all around the world will be there. It’s that peace of mind.”

Initial plans from the Australian government to have four million Australians vaccinated by the end of March didn’t eventuate, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison is reluctant to set new targets as Australia wrestles with the challenges of the rollout.

But Carroll said discussions with Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt had been encouraging, with all options on the table to get the team vaccinated before Tokyo.

“We’ve got great support from Minister Hunt’s officer about working through a way to get the team vaccinated, whether it be the Pfizer one or whatever vaccination they will provide before they head out of Australia,” Carroll said.

“They’re aware of our plans and departure times and we’re just working through things there.

“They’ve had a few things on their mind over the last couple of days, but they’ve been very supportive.”

Originally published as Olympic Games 2021: Fears grow that Australian swimmers won’t be vaccinated for Tokyo