Michael Andrew is set to compete in arguably the most prestigious athletic event in the world: the Olympics. Andrew will head to Tokyo to swim for the United States, competing in the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley. Interestingly, Andrew will travel to Japan for the games unvaccinated, opting not to receive the jab for COVID-19.
Andrew attributed his decision to not get vaccinated to not wanting any foreign substance in his body this close to the games. “It was kind of a last moment. I didn’t want to put anything in my body that I didn’t know how I would potentially react to. As an athlete on the elite level, everything we do is very calculated,” Andrew said. “I didn’t want to risk any days out, because there are periods where, if you take the vaccine, you have to deal with some days off.”
Dave Durden, the head coach for the U.S. Olympic swim team, opted to not comment on the matter. Instead, Durden reiterated the safety procedures in place for all American Olympians, not just Andrew specifically.
The news of Andrew not receiving a vaccine came on the same day Japan declared a new state of emergency over COVID-19 spikes.
Andrew has long doubted the COVID-19 vaccine’s efficacy. In a podcast earlier this calendar year, Andrew stated, “Just because everyone’s heading in one direction, why do we have to follow that direction?” Andrew followed that up with more comments recently on the matter. “Going into Tokyo, the same thing, with testing every day. So we feel very safe and protected, knowing that we’re minimizing risk as much as possible. But personally, I have not had the vaccine yet and don’t plan on it in the distant future.”
