The Costa Rican Olympic Committee (CON-CRC) asked the Government of the Republic to consider immunization against the novel Coronavirus of the complete delegations that will represent the country in the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, to be held during the second half of the year in Tokyo, Japan.
The request was made by the president of the entity, Herny Núñez Nájera, and the head of the delegation, Alexander Zamora Gómez and was sent to the National Commission for Vaccination and Epidemiology (CNVE), led by the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas Peraza .
The letter was also addressed to the latter via his office, as well as to President Carlos Alvarado Quesada and the Minister of Sports, Karla Alemán Cortés.
However, it was received the previous week in the health portfolio and remains in process at the Vaccination and Epidemiology Commission, the press office of the Ministry of Health confirmed. That communications department indicated that it will be in charge of responding to the request of the Executive Committee.
The immunization against the SARS-CoV-2 virus requested in the document is projected for 60 people, including athletes, coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, psychologist and officers; which will travel to the country of the rising sun on July 10th, tentatively. Of these, 35 are the athletes to the Olympic Games, which will be held from July 23rd to August 8th.
To date, according to the press office of the Costa Rican Sports and Recreation Institute (Icoder), those who have a guaranteed place in the competition are:
Andrea Carolina Vargas Mena, sprinter.
Brisa Hennessy Kobar, surfer.
Kenneth Tencio Esquivel, BMX freestyle rider.
Noelia Vargas Mena, marcher.
Nery Brenes Cárdenas, sprinter.
Gerald Drummond Hernández, sprinter.
Juan Diego Castro Villalobos, sprinter
Roberto Sawyers Furtado, hammer throw.
Diana Brenes Fallas, judoka.
Julián Sancho Chinchilla, judoka.
Ignacio Sancho Chinchilla, judoka.
Luciana Alvarado Reid, gymnast.
Leilani McGonagle, surfer.
Carlos “Cali” Muñoz Herrera, surfer.
National Beach Volleyball Team.
6 boxers who will participate in the qualifier.
Likewise, a male and female road cycling team has been confirmed, which the Costa Rican Cycling Federation (Fecoci) must determine next June.
Of the Costa Rican representation in the Paralympic Games. So far, the athletes classified are:
Henry Raabe Méndez, cyclist.
Sherman Guity Guity, track and field.
Intense preparation
“Our athletes have been preparing for more than eight years to qualify for these Olympic and Paralympic Games, so it is vitally important that they participate to represent our country in the most dignified way, since it would be very regrettable if they were to remain excluded from these games in the event that someone with a positive COVID-19 test came out when leaving the country or arriving in Tokyo, Japan, or during the Olympic or Paralympic Games that could lead to their elimination or non-participation after so many years preparing”, indicates the note.
The document underlines “the importance of taking care of the health and safety” of the national delegations and the other participating countries, while emphasizing the “strict” measures to contain the contagion of respiratory disease implemented by the host country, as well as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee.
