Irish sports chiefs expect that there will be an increase of elite Irish athletes that will take the Covid-19 vaccine after the recent third wave.
In a survey conducted last December by Sport Ireland Institute in association with the Olympic Federation of Ireland and released in the Sport Ireland 20202 annual review today, 83% of elite Irish athletes have said they will take the vaccine.
Just over 4% have said they won't take it, while just under 13% have said hey are unsure if they will.
However it has been revealed that a positive case between now and July will keep a Tokyo hopeful who hasn't been vaccinated out of action for 30 days in the run-up to the Games in July.
"We need to test that again," said Liam Harbison, Director of the Sport Ireland Institute.
"But ultimately that was before the third wave - and in wave one or two we didn't know many people affected by Covid, but in the third wave I think many people know someone.
"With the roll-out of the vaccine, our sense is the (appetite to have it) has increased since then. Athletes seem willing to take the vaccine."
Some have indicated that they would prefer not to skip the queue of front-line workers.
"The IOC has been clear and it's well known it will not be mandatory for attending the Games," added Harbison.
"We're hopeful the natural roll-out will mean the team has been vaccinated by the time it travels to Tokyo.
"It will be a very different Games, with little time for the athletes pre- and post-competition.
"It does look like there may not be overseas visitors and it'll be a very different experience for everyone with athletes very much restricted to the village and the competition venues.
"But a Games taking place for athletes who prepared for four or five years is better than no Games taking place."
Harbison confirmed that there is still just one positive Covid case from Team Ireland from last week's European Indoor championships in Poland, where Phil Healy performed best of the squad with a fourth place finish in the 400m final.
It was also revealed that there has been an increase in the number of high-performance athletes and staff seeking psychological support in recent times.
"There certainly is an impact of prolonged lockdowns on the (high-performance) community," Harbison said.
"We have noticed in the last two or three months an increase in demand for psych services both on the performance side but also on the clinical side and we're looking to create more resources in those areas.
"I know a number of requests have come in to increase the resources available, I'd imagine it's increased around 20%.
"There are concerns, there are anxieties around Covid."
