Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, professional sports have struggled to combat the virus as the world waits for the rollout of a vaccine that will hopefully bring some normalcy back to daily life. Front Office Sports reports that Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates organization are set to receive doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in Abu Dhabi during a team training camp in the first week of the new year.
“The team’s cyclists and support staff – about 100 people – are considered relatively ‘high priority’ due to the value Emirati authorities place on the nation’s international sports reputation,” Cycling News reported.
Team Manager Mauro Gianetti revealed to La Gazzetta dello Sport that he was one of 30,000 volunteers in Abu Dhabi to trial the Sinopharm vaccine and said he experienced no ill effects. The team boss also highlighted the importance of professional sport organizations embracing vaccination, noting the move will “completely change our relationship with the outside world.”
The news coming out of the middle east appears to shine a light to the end of the tunnel for the sporting world. As franchise sporting leagues continue to struggle week to week with COVID cases, mass vaccination is set to help diminish these problems while also increasing confidence in a global vaccination rollout.
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