Beijing (AP) – President Friedhelm Julius Beucher of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) has confirmed that two athletes are not taking part in the Paralympics in Beijing because of their vaccination status.
“I respect that someone doesn’t want to be vaccinated, but then he can’t hold society in kinship for his individual behavior,” said Beucher of the “Paralympics Zeitung” of the “Tagesspiegel”: “Then he also has to live with the consequences. There there was no discussion with us. And no outcry from these athletes either.”
In addition to health protection for the other athletes, logistics also played a role in the fundamental decision of the DBS. Anyone entering China without full vaccination protection would have to undergo a three-week room quarantine. “So it would simply not make sense to go there without a full vaccination status,” Beucher had announced in advance.
At the Summer Paralympics about six months ago, the DBS only required the full vaccination certificate from supervisors, this time from the entire delegation.