UPDATE: Positive Discussions with Irish Government

Following today’s statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) regarding the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE to donate doses of COVID-19’s vaccinations to Games participants, positive discussions have taken place with the Irish government who also welcome the development. These vaccinations will be supplementary to the existing allocations that Ireland is administering and will be provided to Olympic and Paralympic athletes and support staff who are travelling to Tokyo, a number which is in the low hundreds. This will not negatively impact the vaccinations that are being administered around the country already.

We are working closely with all parties to advance this progress as we work towards a positive resolution which will significantly alleviate athlete anxiety and support athlete safety ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.  We acknowledge the ongoing engagement and support of the Irish government as we prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will be meeting with Minister Jack Chambers again shortly to further discuss our preparations ahead of the games this summer.