Sports Stars Mandated For Vaccination In New Covid Initiative Down Under

Sport stars in Melbourne, one of the world’s sporting capitals, will be required to roll up their sleeves in the fight against Covid. Michael Pirrie reports on the bold plan to curb the virus in the sporting community and wider society. 

In a nation where a love for sport is almost mandatory, Australia’s second-largest state has taken the country’s passion for sport to a new level in order to protect sports stars, fans and the general public from Covid-19

As a move to combat Covid, the state of Victoria today announced that it would be mandatory for professional athletes to be vaccinated in order to train and compete.

The vaccination mandate applies to professional codes, club staff, teams and players and is believed to be among the first of its kind in the world.

“This new mandate will impact on policies and protocols involving players participating in upcoming sporting events over the summer months in Victoria.”

This new mandate will impact on policies and protocols involving players participating in upcoming sporting events over the summer months in Victoria. These include the traditional cricket Test match series against England, a highlight of which is the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the world’s biggest and most iconic venues.

This new mandate will be written into the state’s public health orders, requiring players and teams to receive their first vaccine dose by the middle of this month and second by November 26.

The move is included in a range of sweeping measures announced by the State Government earlier today designed to open Victoria’s borders and economy after one of the world’s longest lockdowns.

As well as protecting against Covid, the new mandate is designed to revive the state’s economy, which is heavily dependent on major sporting and cultural events and lucrative tourism, hospitality, retail and marketing.

Victoria’s capital city of Melbourne is regarded as one of the world’s leading sports destinations, and the mandate could influence protocols for sport in other sporting cities.

Melbourne is home to some of Australia’s biggest national and international events, such as the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Australian Open tennis grand slam, international cricket and Australian Football League (AFL) events.

The AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground draws approximately 100,000 spectators, making it the world’s highest attended league championship. The league final has been forced interstate to other grounds over the past two seasons due to Covid.

Other events include the Melbourne Cup, the world’s richest “two mile” handicap and one of the richest turf races in the world.

While none of Australia’s major sporting codes are believed to have implemented compulsory coronavirus vaccination rules, Victoria’s mandate could see similar requirements introduced in other states.

The move could also push forward vaccine mandates under consideration in other nations and sporting codes that compete in major sporting events in Victoria.

“The ‘jab for a job’ mandates apply to employment in a wide range of sectors, from government and the courts to construction.”

A mandate on sports vaccinations is also intended to boost vaccination rates to 70-80 per cent in Victoria in order to open up the state and city of Melbourne without overwhelming the health and hospital system.

The “jab for a job” mandates apply to employment in a wide range of sectors, from government and the courts to construction. They were announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, requiring all authorised workers in Melbourne and regional Victoria to be vaccinated in order to continue working on site.

The list of authorised workers includes “professional or high-performance sportsperson, workers that support the safe running of that person’s professional sport, and public broadcast personnel necessary for broadcasting the professional sport”

While vaccine mandates for sport have threatened to become a divisive issue, support for vaccination has been growing in recent months especially amongst wealthy professional leagues and championships.

The mandate for the sporting industry in Victoria may be the first imposed by a government in the world.