Srikanth holds on to slim Oly hopes Negative public opinion is no threat to Olympics
New Delhi, May 13: Left stranded after the final three Olympic qualifiers were cancelled, Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth still harbours “some hope” of making it to the Tokyo Games, his faint optimism resting on the world body’s assurance of a statement on the qualification process.
Former world No. 1 Srikanth and Saina Nehwal were all but out of contention after the Badminton World Federation on Wednesday cancelled the last qualifying event in Singapore due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
The cancellation of the Singapore event (June 1-6) was after Malaysia Open and India Open had to be shelved due to the health crisis.
The BWF, however, said it “will issue a further statement on Tokyo Olympics qualifying at a later date.”
“I could have qualified if I had participated in the qualifiers but there is nothing much I can do about it now. Just waiting to see what BWF says about this whole qualification things, so yeah holding on to some hope,” Srikanth said.
There is no tournament scheduled till August and Telangana too has gone into a lockdown. Srikanth said he would now take a break from training.
Asked if BWF could have
done anything differently, Srikanth said: “Now we can say a lot of things because the tournament is not happening but we really don’t know what is happening between the organisers and BWF.
“So, I don’t know what else can be done, may be BWF can communicate things better to players.”
With no events lined-up, Olympic-bound shuttlers such as P.V. Sindhu, B. Sai Praneeth and men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, too have decided to take some time off.
“Definitely disappointed that all the three events got cancelled. I have been training for 7 weeks but now just training without purpose makes no sense,” world No. 15 Praneeth said.
Geneva, May 13: The IOC has downplayed concerns over Japanese public opinion calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled, before its virtual news conference was interrupted by an activist protesting the Games.
The news conference on Wednesday followed a monthly meeting of the International Olympic Committee’s executive board held amid a state of emergency in Tokyo to curb surging Covid-19 cases. Polling in Japan also persistently suggests people want the July 23-August 8 Olympics to be called off, having already been postponed by one year.
“We listen but won’t be guided by public opinion,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, adding “everything is telling us ... that the Games can go ahead and will go ahead.”
Adams stood in for his boss, IOC president Thomas Bach, whose planned visit to Japan next week was called off Monday after states of emergency in Tokyo and other regions were extended through May.
The final question of the news conference, held by video call, was offered to a reporter from Yahoo Sports.
Instead, an activist appeared on the screen holding up a black and white banner opposing the Tokyo Olympics.
“No Olympics anywhere, No Olympics anywhere,” he said, before using a profanity and adding “No Olympics in LA., No Olympics in
Tokyo,” before the line was cut. The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles.
Adams made light of the interruption noting if Bach had been present it “probably would have made that stunt a little bit more interesting.”