‘We proved the doubters wrong’-Team GB chief
As Team GB’s remaining athletes landed on home soil, the British Olympic Association’s chairman branded Operation Tokyo 2020 a “remarkable achievement”.
Sir Hugh Robertson also backedBritain’sathletestooutdotheirstunningperformances when they head to Paris for the next Games in just three years.RobertsonandTeamGB facedalogisticalchallengelike no other to compete in Japan at a Games already delayed by a year and plunged into a state of emergency due to Covid-19.
So for Britain to come away with65medals,equallingtheir tally at London nine years ago, is all the more impressive.
“We’veprovedthedoubters wrong,” Robertson said. “Six months ago we faced a wall of people telling us we shouldn’t be doing this, it’s entirely unethical and the wrong thing to do. But when the Games started, they started to be defined not by those moments but by the sporting success, and our athletes have done us proud.
“It all started around 18 months ago when the Games were postponed. The BOA had to try and get the entire athlete body and their coaches vaccinated,andthenstartthewhole process of getting people out there safely in bubbles at different times.
“To deliver 375 athletes in a 1,000-strong party across 26 sports safely to the start line, I’m so proud of the way we’ve done that. We always knew this was going to be a bumpy ride and the success of Team GB’s administration operation has been to minimise it to that level. To have got Team GB throughitaswellaswehavedeserves huge credit.
“To have moved over 1,000 people, delivered them, without exception, safe and sound tothestartlineisaremarkable achievement.”