By Neto Baptiste
West Indies batting star Chris Gayle is not too enthused about taking any of the available Covid-19 vaccines.
Speaking recently on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show in Antigua, Gayle who is still one of the most dangerous T20 batsmen in the game today, said he would avoid taking the jab if possible.
“If I don’t have to take it I wouldn’t want to take it. I wouldn’t want to take any vaccine at all, to be honest, because I am naturally living fine. so I don’t want anything being injected inside of me. But, down the road, there is a possibility they are going to slow you down from your earnings and say if you don’t take it you can’t do this or you can’t do that and you can’t earn. So it’s a situation where they might hold you ransom at some stage, but for me, if I don’t have to take it, I don’t want to,” he said.
Gayle, is the second Caribbean and Jamaican international athlete to publicly state they would not take the vaccine after sprinter and former world champion in the 100 meters, Yohan Blake, said he would not take the jab.
Gayle, affectionately known as the Universe Boss, believes restrictions could eventually make it difficult for some people not taking the vaccine.
“I am sure that at some stage they are going to hold everybody ransom by saying you can’t travel, you can’t play in a particular tournament or you can’t fly on a particular airline, but I am not up for it. I’ve been tested maybe over 60 times, 70 times since I’ve been flying and playing and being in a bubble and knock wood because I haven’t caught the Covid,” the batsman said.
Major sporting events like the Olympics have said that athletes would not be forced to take the vaccine in order to compete at the 2021 Games in Tokyo, Japan, but many fear that other restrictions could force many to take the potentially life-saving jab.