Japan Rolls out Vaccine Slowly, Despite Looming Olympics
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April 24, 2021 AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed a one-year contract extension with the Serie A club that will keep him at the Italian giant beyond his 7 40th birthday, BBC Sport reported . Japan rolls out vaccine slowly, despite looming Olympics Three months before it hosts the Olympics – the biggest international event since the pandemic began – Japan has fully vaccinated less than one percent of its population in a cautious, slow-moving program. Olympic organizers and local officials stress vaccines are not a prerequisite Sports Desk for the Games. Participants will not have to be inoculated before arrival and there are no plans to prioritize vaccination of Japanese athletes or volunteers, ran’s Kianoush Rostami finished his campaign at the AFP reported. Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, the But the slow rollout in the world’s third-largest economy, which experts say Icapital of Uzbekistan, with three medals. is driven by a mixture of caution and entrenched bureaucratic hurdles, is start- A couple of silver medals in the snatch and clean & jerk ing to weigh on public opinion. contests saw the Iranian claim the total gold of the men’s The government has emphasized caution to build trust in the vaccine, said 89kg weight class with 373kg. Takakazu Yamagishi, director of the Center for International Affairs at Nanzan The result in Tashkent meant the two-time Olympic med- University, who researches health policy. alist missed out on defending his Rio 2016 gold at the up- But, seeing speedy vaccinations elsewhere, “more and more people are real- coming Tokyo Olympics, as the Iranian had to tally at least izing that the delayed vaccination process has put Japan in a difficult position 395kg in total to have a chance of securing a place at the to hold the Olympics,” he told AFP. Games. This could “weaken their support for the Games.” Rostami, a winner of two world gold medals, overcame A majority of Japanese already oppose holding the Games this summer, and 167kg but failed to lift the 176kg weight in his next two at- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who faces a general election this year, has tempts, finishing second to Nurgissa Adiletuly in the snatch been under pressure for months over his coronavirus response. competition, as the Kazakhstan’s contestant lifted 169kg. The country’s outbreak has been comparatively small so far, with fewer Host’s Sarvarbek Zafarjonov stood third with 166kg. than 10,000 deaths. In the clean & jerk event, the Iranian lifted 206kg in his But several regions, including Tokyo, requested new virus states of emer- second attempt but a failure against the 216kg weight left gency this week over a fresh wave of cases that has already overwhelmed Rostami in the runner-up spot of the category, behind Yu some local healthcare systems. Dong-ju of South Korea who raised 207kg. Rostami was followed by Adiletuly (372kg) and Zafar- Games ‘unaffected’ jonov (368kg) in the overall standing. MOHAMMAD BABAEI/ IRNA Writing in the British Medical Journal this month, four health experts cited Japan’s “sluggish vaccine rollout” among other factors in urging plans to hold the Games “be reconsidered as a matter of urgency.” Arsenal owners have ‘no intention’ of selling after Super League backlash Kroenke, whose father Stan Kroenke struck a deal to take full control of Arsenal in 2018, said they had “no intention of selling” and that they believed they were fit to “carry on in our position as custodians” of the club. “I might be met with mistrust and scepticism, but over time I hope to establish some sort of relation- ship with our supporter groups and show them we are capable of taking our club forward,” he added. The decision to sign up for the controversial ven- ture was taken to safeguard the future of the club, said Kroenke. “The first question we asked was: What is worse, a Super League or a Super League without Arsenal? We decided a Super League without Arsenal was the worst,” he added. EUGENE HOSHIKO/POOL Kroenke said the question of what the fans wanted was one that demanded a “much more complicated Polls show three-quarters of Japan’s public consider the rollout slow, with answer” than they had time to contemplate. 60 percent saying they are dissatisfied with the program. “From an English fan’s perspective ... they want Olympic organizers insist the rollout’s pace will not impact the Games. to see more big matches,” he added. “We’ll be able to deliver the Games even without vaccination,” Tokyo 2020 “But as one Chelsea supporter wrote on a sign that CEO Toshiro Muto told reporters on Wednesday. I saw online the other day, you still want your cold “Of course, if vaccines become available, that would be an upside... But as a rsenal.com nights in Stoke.” far as we’re concerned, regardless of the vaccine, we will take thorough CO- Arsenal’s owners do not plan to sell the Premier up for the project before withdrawing amid a storm Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Thursday VID-19 countermeasures to be able to deliver the Games.” League club despite the intense backlash following of protest from fans, players and the British govern- Stan Kroenke, CEO Vinai Venkatesham and other The International Olympic Committee is encouraging athletes to get vac- their involvement in the breakaway European Super ment alongside threats of bans and sanctions from figures at the London club involved in the Super cinated and has secured Chinese doses for teams from countries with limited League, director Josh Kroenke said. the game’s European and world governing bodies, League plan had apologised to the players and him- access. Arsenal was one of six English clubs who signed Reuters reported. self. Several countries have already vaccinated their teams or said they plan to. But Japanese officials say there is no plan to follow suit, and there is no timetable yet for expanding jabs to the general population. The government has deals with AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna for Giannis dominates enough doses to cover all 125 million residents, but it has only approved the Pfizer shot so far. Vaccinations began in February with medical workers and expanded just as Milwaukee Bucks beat Philadelphia 76ers last week to the elderly. Experts say the cautious rollout is informed partly by past vaccine contro- Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists to lift the versies. Strict rules include a requirement that vaccines be trialed locally on host Milwaukee Bucks past the Philadelphia 76ers 124-117 at NBA. top of international testing. Khris Middleton added 24 points, Bobby Portis had 23 and Brook Lopez 16 for the Bucks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Jrue Holiday had 12 Supply, manpower concerns points and 11 assists for the Bucks (36-22), Sky Sports reported. The Bucks hit their first 10 shots of the game, bolted to a 20-point advan- There have also been concerns about export restrictions impacting supply, tage and led 77-60 at halftime. Milwaukee sank 13 of 21 first-half three-point and Japan has stockpiled significant doses before administering them. attempts and was led by Middleton with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting. Embiid It has received more than 17 million doses from Europe so far -- but only paced the Sixers with 17 at the break. around 1.5 million people have had a first shot, with just over 827,000 fully Philadelphia cut the deficit to 94-85 late in the third, but the Bucks finished vaccinated. strong and held a 108-87 advantage at the end of the quarter. Portis scored Mil- “In Japan, people consider equality important,” said Koji Wada, a professor waukee’s last nine points on three 3-pointers to help build a 21-point lead. A late at Japan’s International University of Health and Welfare. 14-1 run closed Philly within six, 123-117 in the waning seconds. “So if there are only 9,000 items for 10,000 people in need during a disaster, Joel Embiid led the Sixers (39-20) with 24 points. Shake Milton added 20 and for example, some municipalities wouldn’t provide them,” he told AFP. Tobias Harris had 18 in his first game back after missing the previous three with Japan says it will have enough vaccines for everyone over 16 by September, knee soreness. Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott contributed 11 each. but when those doses will be administered is less clear. The Sixers have now dropped three in a row without Simmons. The Bucks, Approvals for the Moderna and AstraZeneca formulas are not expected be- who made 20 treys on 40 attempts, host the Sixers again today. fore May at the earliest, and there are other challenges, including rules that allow only doctors and nurses to administer the jab. Lakers beaten by Mavs The slow pace makes it likely that Japan’s population, including thousands of Olympic volunteers and support staff, will not be vaccinated by the time Luka Doncic finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead athletes begin pouring into the country. the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-110 victory at home against the Los Angeles Lak- Overseas fans have already been barred, and a decision on how many do- ers. BENNY SIEU/USA TODAY SPORTS mestic fans – if any – will be allowed into Olympic venues may not come until The Mavericks (32-26) won their second in a row and tied Portland for sixth Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo goes for a basket during an NBA victory June.