Fears grow over Games

ONE of the International Olympic Committee’s own members has slammed the decision to proceed with the Tokyo Olympics during the coronavirus crisis as “insensitive and irresponsible”.

And Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, is calling for the Games to be postponed for 12 months after Euro 2020 was pushed back to next year.

But the IOC is holding firm against growing pleas to stop the biggest event in world sport going ahead.

In a defiant statement, it said it was business as usual just hours after European soccer bosses pulled the pin on Euro 2020.

“The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive,” the IOC said.

While Japanese officials backed the IOC decision, saying G7 leaders were in support of the Games going ahead even though US President Donald Trump believed they should be delayed until next year, past and present athletes went on the attack.

“This crisis is bigger than even the Olympics,” said Canadian IOC member Hayley Wickenheiser, who won four gold medals in ice hockey.

“Athletes can’t train, attendees can’t travel. Sponsors and marketers can’t market with any degree of sensitivity.

“I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity.”

Greek Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi accused the IOC of risking the health of athletes by insisting they keep training as normal because the Games were on.

“You are putting us in danger right now, today, not in four months,” she tweeted.

Apart from the added risk of athletes contracting or transmitting the COVID-19 virus at the Olympics, one big concern is that preparations have already been severely disrupted.

Almost half the qualifying places still haven’t been decided, forcing international federations to find new ways to select athletes who will go to Tokyo because qualification events have been postponed or cancelled.

Spain’s Olympic Committee president Alejandro Blanco said the only fair decision was to postpone the Games.

“The news that we get every day is uncomfortable for all countries in the world, but for us the most important thing is that our sports people cannot train and to celebrate the Games as planned would result in unequal conditions,” he said.

Irish runner Sonia O’Sullivan, who won silver in the 5000m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, said it was time for the IOC to make the hard decision in the best interests of health and safety. “The fairest way might be to have the Olympics in 2021,” she said.