The International Olympic Committee is reportedly considering ensuring that athletes are vaccinated against COVID-19 before they travel to Tokyo for the 2021 Summer Olympics, which have been rescheduled for July.

Canadian IOC Commissioner Dick Pound told Sky News on Wednesday that while countries will still be responsible for vaccinations, he advocated prioritizing Olympic athletes to ensure that the Games are held as scheduled. [In Canada, there could be 300 or 400 athletes. To have Canada represented in an international event of that size, character, and level, we would be vaccinating 300 or 400 people out of millions, and I don't think there would be any public outcry about that," Pound told Sky News.

"That's up to each country to decide, and some people will say jump the queue, but I think that's the most practical way to go about it."

According to Sky News, the British Olympic Association and UK Sport are discussing ways to ensure athletes are vaccinated by July, but stressed that it will not be at the expense of vulnerable populations.

Several vaccines are being developed to combat COVID-19. The Chinese Sinovac vaccine uses the traditional method of inactivating viral particles, while the mRNA vaccine, rapidly developed by Pfizer and Modena, produces inactivated particles in the body of the vaccinated person.

However, supply and distribution has been problematic in the United Kingdom, where a new, highly infectious strain has led to a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Japan has not yet approved the vaccine and plans to begin distribution in late February.

Last week, a new surge of COVID-19 cases in Japan led to speculation that Olympic participants would be forced to be quarantined for two weeks prior to the multisport event. If so, elite athletes hoping to compete in the road race and time trial would have a tough decision to make, as Tokyo and the Tour de France are less than a week apart.

Alpecin Phoenix's Mathieu Van der Poel, the highest ranked rider on the 2020 pro team with an automatic invitation to all WorldTour events, is hoping to compete in the Tour de France, but if quarantine is required, he would rather compete in the Olympic Games than his Grand Tour debut He said he would prioritize competing in the cross-country mountain biking events at the Games over his Grand Tour debut if quarantine were required.