World bodies support IOC

DELAYED, ADMITS COE World athletics chief Sebastian Coe admitted that the Tokyo Olympics could be moved to later in the year by the coronavirus outbreak, but said it was too early to decide.

Olympic bosses acknowledged there was no “ideal” solution as a growing number of athletes expressed concern.

“That is possible, anything is possible at the moment,” said Coe when asked whether the Games could be postponed to September or October.

“But I think the position that sport has certainly taken, and it was certainly the temperature of the room in the conversation I had the other day with the IOC and our other federations, is that nobody is saying we will be going to the Games come what may. But it isn’t a decision that has to be made at this moment,” Coe added.

— Agencies

Geneva, March 19: Regional Olympic officials are rallying around the IOC and have backed its stance on opening the Tokyo Games as scheduled, as direct criticism from gold medalist athletes built amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Leaders of continental Olympic groups praised the IOC after a conference call on Wednesday to update them on coronavirus four months before the opening ceremony

“We are living through an unpredictable crisis and as such, it is important that we have one policy, expressed by the IOC, and we follow that policy in unison,” the Italy-based European Olympic Committees said.

However, when the International Olympic Committee published an interview with its president, Thomas Bach it prompted a four-time

Olympic champion urge postponing games.

Bach acknowledged that many athletes were concerned about qualifying events being cancelled, but noted that there were still four months to go until the games are set to be opened. “We will keep acting in a responsible way in the interests of the to the athletes,” Bach said.

British rowing great Matthew Pinsent wrote on Twitter that the comments from Bach, his former IOC colleague, were “tone deaf.”

“The instinct to keep safe (not to mention obey govt instructions to lock down) is not compatible with athlete training, travel and focus that a looming Olympics demands of athletes, spectators organisers. Keep them safe. Call it off,” Pinsent wrote.

INDIAN OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION BACKS IOC Skepticism is sweeping through the world but the Indian Olympic Association on Thursday backed the IOC’s assertion that the upcoming Tokyo Olympics will weather the Covid-19 pandemic and be held on time without a glitch.

“The coronavirus is creating havoc throughout the world but we are hopeful it will be contained in one or two months. IOC is our parent body, we will have to abide by what the IOC decides. If the IOC says the Olympics will go on we will have to participate irrespective of any threat,” a senior offical said.

Agencies