Canada's Olympic team doctor, Bob McCormack, says all the sportsmen and women with a chance of competing in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver should be vaccinated against Mexican flu.

Speaking on public television, he argued that the Winter Olympic Games, being held in February, provided the perfect breeding ground for the A(H1N1) virus responsible for Mexican flu, also known as swine flu.

Thousands of contestants are due to take part in the games and observers think that sick Olympic athletes could be placed in quarantine. The Olympic Committee has denied this.

Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says there is enough time to reach agreement on the vaccination issue well before the start of the games.

photo: 2010 Olympic coins (Flickr / Dave Jones)