Heptathlete Carolin Schäfer has already been vaccinated against Corona / Archive
Similar to Austria, German Olympic athletes worry about being vaccinated against Corona in time for the summer games in Tokyo. Despite the federal government's vaccination approval, doubts about the speed of vaccination and fear of side effects torment. Only 15 percent of the 1,100 members of the German team for the Olympics and Paralympics are vaccinated, eight percent reject a vaccination.
Top athletes who have already been vaccinated have been slowed down significantly in their preparation, reported marathon runner Richard Ringer in an interview with Sport1. “You cannot say that you will be vaccinated in June, it will no longer work. Every body reacts differently, some don't feel anything, and others lie in bed for days.”
According to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), a majority of the team rejected a vaccination preference, but a number of nations such as Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Israel, India and Mexico are going this way. Sports powers like China and Russia also vaccinate their Olympians at an early stage. Thanks to the high vaccination rate in their homeland, the US athletes should travel to Japan protected anyway. For athletes who were vaccinated late or not at all, the question of equal opportunities arises.
Germany's athlete spokesman and saber fencer Max Hartung was vaccinated at the beginning of April because he has regular contact with a good friend who is expecting a child. Pregnant women in Germany are allowed to nominate two people from their environment for a vaccination. Heptathlete Carolin Schäfer received the vaccine thanks to her employment with the Hessian police. “It was as if someone had injected me with gold. That gives me a lot of security,” emphasized the Frankfurt resident.
