Games on tenterhooks
Dark cloud over Tokyo Olympics, admits IOC
Lausanne, March 18: Olympic chiefs acknowledged Wednesday there was no “ideal” solution to staging the Tokyo Olympics amid a backlash from athletes as the deadly coronavirus pandemic swept the globe.
“This is an exceptional situation which requires exceptional solutions,” an International Olympic Committee spokesperson said after criticism from top athletes that they were being forced to take health risks should the July 24August 9 Games go ahead as scheduled during the
Covid-19 outbreak. “No solution will be ideal in this situation, and this is why we are counting on the responsibility and solidarity of the athletes,” the IOC spokesperson added.
Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi and British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson had earlier both voiced concerns after the IOC said it was “fully committed” to running the Games as scheduled from July 24.
ZERO RISK CONSIDERATION
On Tuesday, minutes before the IOC statement, the Euro 2020 football tournament was delayed for a year, bowing to the crisis that has paralysed Europe and drastically curtailed international travel.
Olympic qualifying tournaments are among the swathe of sports events that have been cancelled or postponed, with only 57 percent of athletes booking their places so far.
Johnson-Thompson, the world heptathlon champion, criticised the IOC for telling athletes to train “as best they can”, saying it was at odds with stringent government health measures.
IOC COULD ADJUST QUALIFYING
Almost any athlete will concede that getting picked for an Olympic team is as much of a challenge as competing for one.
The IOC acknowledged on Tuesday just how frazzling the whole process could be this year, and a few leaders from the athlete community weighed in on how the uncertainty is plaguing them, as well.
While pushing forward for its planned July 24 start for the Tokyo Games, the IOC outlined how the invitations might be sorted out if the dozens of Olympic trials and qualifiers slated for this spring and summer around the globe get cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus. There are still around 4,700 out of nearly 11,000 Olympic spots to be decided.