Turkish Olympians slated for priority COVID-19 jabs

ANKARA

Turkish athletes heading for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer are set to be vaccinated soon against COVID-19, said a top official on Thursday.

Mehmet Kasapoglu, the youth and sports minister, said that Turkish athletes either on the Olympic teams or likely to qualify have priority to get the shots as soon as possible.

The 2020 Tokyo games were postponed until this summer due to the pandemic.

The games are now scheduled to take place from July 23 to Aug. 8, but without spectators due to safety measures.

* Writing by Emre Asikci