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Tokyo 2020: two-time gold medallist Yohan Blake would ‘rather miss Olympics’ than receive coronavirus vaccine
- Former rival to Usain Bolt tells fans to ‘follow your mind, don’t follow the crowd’ after strongly rejecting vaccine
- According to the IOC, Jamaican Blake will still be able to compete as athlete vaccination is not compulsory
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Olympic champion sprinter Yohan Blake, of Jamaica, said he would rather miss the Tokyo Games than get the Covid-19 vaccine, although having the shot is not required of the athletes competing there this summer.
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“My mind still stays strong. I don’t want any vaccine. I’d rather miss the Olympics than take the vaccine. I am not taking it,” he was quoted as saying in Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner. “I don’t really want to get into it now, but I have my reasons.”
Blake, a one-time rival of Jamaican great Usain Bolt, will likely still be able to participate in what is expected to be the 31-year-old’s third and final Games even if he does not get the vaccine.
The International Olympic Committee has said getting the vaccine is “encouraged” but not compulsory for athletes.
“Follow your mind, don’t follow the crowd,” the two-time Olympic gold medallist said in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday.
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“At the same time, be respectful to each and every one. Don’t let no one take away your choice.”
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