The rescheduled 2021 Olympics, set to begin July 23 in Tokyo, will rely on testing, distancing, and a lengthy list of protocols – but not necessarily on vaccines – to combat COVID-19.
The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee on Tuesday revealed the third and final version of "playbooks" that outline countermeasures and rules that athletes and other Olympic participants must follow while in Japan.
The countermeasures include daily COVID testing, restrictions on movement within and outside of Olympic venues, and removal from competition for anybody who tests positive.
The playbooks, which are 70 pages of cute illustrations and semi-specific information, were developed in consultation with international and Japanese health experts, over 15 months of planning, ever since the pandemic forced organizers to postpone the Tokyo Games last March.