The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Pfizer Bayontech have reached an agreement to donate vaccines to participants in this year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The International Olympic Committee announced today that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Pfizer Bayontech regarding the donation of vaccines to protect against the Covid-19 virus, which will immunize participants in the Olympic Games from around the world. The National Olympic Committees, in cooperation with the governments of their countries, will work on the distribution of available vaccines and set priorities for the immunization process.

The statement said the International Olympic Committee strongly supported all national Olympic committees conducting immunization processes once the vaccines became widely available. It is noted that vaccination is very important in the process of protecting all athletes and members of delegations that will participate in the Tokyo Olympics, but also for the protection of the local population in Japan.

- The vaccine donation will be a major contribution to our efforts to hold safe and secure Olympic Games for all participants in Tokyo this summer. We invite all athletes and members of delegations who will be in Tokyo to receive the vaccine and thus help us create a safe environment for all.

By receiving the vaccine, athletes, as the greatest ambassadors of a healthy lifestyle, send a strong message that vaccination is not only a matter of personal health, but also care for the community and all the people around us - said IOC President Thomas Bach and thanked Pfizer Bayontech for donating vaccines.