Tokyo World Cup scrapped, FINA seeking alternative
IT would have been the perfect opportunity for Malaysian divers to get a feel of the Tokyo Olympics venue.
But as luck would have it, it is not going to happen after FINA, the world body for aquatics, called off the Diving World Cup scheduled for April 18-23 in Tokyo.
It is believed that one of the reasons FINA cancelled the event is that Japan wanted to impose an “additional quarantine” upon arrival for officials but participating athletes would be exempted from quarantine.
The fate of the World Cup is now hanging in the balance as FINA are now scrambling to find an alternative host for the competition that is meant to be the last Olympic qualifying event.
Malaysia Swimming (MS) secretary general Mae Chen said it was an incredibly disappointing and unfortunate turn of events.
“It’s disappointing news because in less than 24 hours after receiving assurance from Japan that we are guaranteed our entry visa for the World Cup, FINA officially cancelled the event,” said Mae.
“I believe Japan added some last minute conditions to FINA to which FINA did not agree.
“As a result, FINA decided to call off the event in Japan and they are now urgently looking for an alternative date and location to stage the World Cup.
“It is quite a mess as we have already submitted our exit application for Japan and we’ll have to do it all over again if the venue is changed.
“If the World Cup does not take place, it may be hard to decide on the Olympic slots as there are no competitions this year.
“We may have to look back at the 2019 results.”
This is a setback to 2017 world champion Cheong Jun Hoong. The Perakian, who missed two years of action due to a knee surgery, had the World Cup in Tokyo lined up as her comeback tournament.
If FINA are unable to find a last minute replacement for the World Cup, Jun Hoong could stand to even miss out on the Tokyo Olympics.
To date, only four Malaysians: Pandelela Rinong, Leong Mun Yee, Wendy Ng and Nur Dhabitah Sabri have earned their slots in the Olympics.