NZ Olympians backed for 2021
New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith has moved to reassure athletes who had already qualified for a postponed Tokyo Olympics.
Smith stopped short of guaranteeing those New Zealand athletes a place at the rescheduled games as their training abruptly halted amid the coronavirus pandemic, but offered enough comfort for those who had already reached the required standards.
‘‘We’ve got to work through what’s the status of selected athletes, and the status of qualifying events relative to a moved Games,’’ Smith told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘We think the athletes that have qualified and been selected have done their bit, and we would hope we’d be in a position to continue that process on. But we need to take stock and understand what the lie of the land is.’’
Smith’s Australian Olympic Committee counterpart, Matt Carroll, said their athletes would not need to re-qualify for the rescheduled event which is now at least one year away. ‘‘That will give athletes some comfort but we await further details in the coming weeks,’’ Carroll said.
Smith expects the first postponed Olympics in its 124-year history to be rescheduled for between late April and August 2021, with a decision to be made within a month.
IOC president Thomas Bach and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed yesterday they could not stage the Olympics as scheduled from July 24.
It became clear in the past week a postponement was the most likely option, after Australia advised its athletes to prepare for a 2021 Games and Canada said it would boycott this year if it went ahead as scheduled.
Smith said the NZOC did not threaten a boycott but made clear to the IOC on Tuesday the widespread concern of its athletes.
The NZOC’s priority now is to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of its athletes as the country goes into lockdown, before the rescheduled Olympic dates are confirmed.
High Performance Sport NZ would move quickly to adjust funding arrangements to reassure athletes of continued support, Smith said.
‘‘It’s been financially, and in terms of their mental and physical wellbeing, a very tough time so we certainly feel for them.’’
Asked about decorated Olympians Dame Valerie Adams, Nick Willis and Mahe Drysdale who are near the end of their glittering careers, and will now need to refocus for next year, Smith said: ‘‘It’s a very difficult thing if you’re peaking for this July-August window and then you have to do it again.
‘‘One thing about our Olympians is they are incredibly resilient and I’m sure if the will is there, they will keep on going.’’