No plan to cut Games

’Keep calm and train’

AUSTRALIA is urging its athletes to stay calm and keep preparing for the Olympics amid concerns the coronavirus could cause its cancellation.

A long-serving senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says if it’s too dangerous to hold the Tokyo Games, they could be cancelled.

Canada’s Dick Pound says any decision on whether the Olympics can proceed on July 24 could be put off until late May.

“In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask, ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?’,” Pound said.

If the IOC decided the Games couldn’t go ahead as scheduled in Tokyo, “you’re probably looking at a cancellation”, he said.

Australia’s Olympic team chef de mission Ian Chesterman said the spread of the coronavirus was a serious concern.

But there has been no indication given to Australia that the Games won’t proceed.

“Full-steam ahead for our planning at the moment,” Chesterman said yesterday.

“Athletes around the country, our message to them is stay calm, get on with what you can control, which is your training, and plan to be attending Tokyo on July 24.

“All the advice that we’re getting is that the Games will take place on July 24.

“We are dealing with it ... and we remain confident the Games will go ahead.”

The coronavirus outbreak, which began in China two months ago, has infected more than 80,000 people globally and killed over 2700, mostly in China.

Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt said the nation would not put its athletes at risk.

“The Olympics are some five months roughly away so assessments will be made closer to the time,” he said.

“Our message to the athletes is, ‘ We will put your health and safety first. For the moment, just keep training because our hope is that there is a very fruitful Olympics ahead of you’.

“But if there’s any risk they will be the first to know.”

About 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected in Tokyo for the Olympics, with a further 4400 bound for the Paralympics opening on August 25.

The IOC’s preparations for both are currently “business as usual” Pound said, but he added the Games could not be rescheduled.

“There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons,” he said.

“You can’t just say, ‘We’ll do it in October’.”

Pound conceded the Tokyo Games were largely out of the IOC’s hands and depended on the course of the coronavirus.