It Would Be Bad If A Distinction is Made at Games

People react with surprise to the news that handball international Yvette Broch has withdrawn from the Olympic Games.

The routine of Orange does not want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus and, according to the staff of the Dutch team, has been told that she, therefore, ends up in an isolated position, especially in Tokyo. Broch doesn’t feel like it, so she is no longer available for the Summer Games in Japan.

“As the athletes’ committee, we have always understood that there will be no distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated athletes,” says Schreuder. “I am not aware of any change in this area. So that needs to be checked now. As far as I know, the premise was that you don’t even have to share whether you’re vaccinated or not; that’s under medical secrecy, that’s privacy information. It is up to the athletes themselves to make that choice.”

Schreuder: “New guidelines may have come from Japan; the Japanese government is very rigid and leading in the corona situation. The IOC and the National Olympic Committees should follow that policy, I understand. That is the right of the organizing country. But it would be very bad if a distinction is made in Tokyo between vaccinated and unvaccinated athletes.”

Broch assumed in NRC on Thursday that the national team coach of Orange would have even received advice only to take vaccinated girls to Tokyo. “That would go against all top sports laws. It is about selecting the best team in terms of sport and not based on other facets. I would find that really strange.”

Schreuder: “We already know that the protocols in Tokyo will be very strict. These Games will certainly not have the brilliance of other Olympic tournaments. But let it be mainly about sports.”