CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF
Tokyo Olympics simply must now be postponed
THE Tokyo Olympics appeared to be untenable last night after USA Track and Field (USATF) called for it to be postponed to 2021 because of the international emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The intervention from the governing body for athletics in the US, which combines the blue riband sport of the Olympic Games and the richest nation, means that the efforts of IOC President Thomas Bach to persist in staging the games now appear to be in tatters.
USA is by far the most important nation to the IOC given that Comcast, parent company of the US broadcasters NBC, paid $4.38billion for the media rights for the Olympics from 2014 to 2020.
Track and field is the most important sport for NBC, so the prospect of the US team being reluctant to attend, or insisting they could not be competitive because of disruption to preparation, means pressure is becoming unbearable on Tokyo 2020 organisers and Bach to postpone the games, despite the huge costs.
‘The right and responsible thing to do is prioritise everyone’s health and safety,’ wrote USATF chief Max Siegel. ‘We certainly understand the ramifications of this request and the realities of trying to coordinate the logistics of a postponed Olympic Games, but the alternative of moving forward in light of the current global situation would not be in the best interest of our athletes.’
The plea from the USATF came just 24 hours after USA Swimming urged a one-year delay, which will be hard for Olympic organisers to ignore. US Olympic officials had previously been asking athletes to continue their preparations in spite of the ongoing pandemic sweeping the globe, but the USATF insist the pretence has to stop.
The Olympics had to be ‘safe’, Siegel wrote in an open letter to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, saying: ‘We urge the USOPC, as a leader within the Olympic Movement, to use its voice and speak up for the athletes.’
Four more Olympic delegations — Slovenia, Colombia, Norway and
Brazil — have become the latest to voice their opposition to the Games being held this summer.
IOC member Richard Peterkin said yesterday: ‘The clamour from stakeholders for a postponement of the Games is growing steadily.’
Lord Coe, head of World Athletics, issued a statement yesterday, conceding clarity was necessary. ‘A decision on the Olympic Games may become very obvious very quickly in the coming days and weeks,’ he said. ‘I don’t think we should have the Olympic Games at all costs, certainly not at the cost of athlete safety.
‘The issue of competition fairness is paramount. If we lose the level playing field, we lose the integrity of the competition, Nobody wants this, least of all the athletes or the fans.’
If the Games went ahead, it would mean tens of thousands of competitors, officials, volunteers, diplomats and fans descending on Japan in just four months’ time for the opening ceremony, despite the world being in virtual lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sport and Rights Alliance and the World Players Association, two organisations that together represent more than 100,000 athletes, have also called for the IOC to review their plans. Yet last week Bach said: ‘We are not putting the cancellation of the Games on the agenda.’
Only the two world wars have led to previous cancellations of the Olympics. But more and more athletes are speaking out over their fears for Tokyo 2020, with British discus thrower Jade Lally the latest, accusing the IOC of being ‘insensitive’.
‘They’re not thinking about things,’ she said. ‘I don’t know if blasé is the word. They can’t tell us to “train as normal”. Nobody on the planet is training as they normally would.’
British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson also expressed concerns that athletes were no longer able to train normally due to restrictions over the coronavirus and Nic Coward, chairman of UK Athletics, said now is the right time to call off the Games.
‘To leave it where it is is creating so much pressure in the system. It now has to be addressed,’ he said. ‘The intensity of pressure on people right now is too great and decisions have to be made soon.’
Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson fears athletes could ‘risk their lives’ trying to train for the Games and called for clarity on the IOC’s decision process.
‘IOC should communicate the window for deciding on the 2020 Olympics,’ tweeted the former US sprinter. ‘Athletes must keep training but for many there’s nowhere to train. They may risk their lives and others’ trying to continue training. Answer isn’t just cancel ASAP. But communicate the process to the athletes.’
Glen Mills, long-time coach of eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, added his weight to the argument to postpone until 2021.
Mills, who also trains British sprinter Zharnel Hughes, said: ‘This would be unprecedented but we are in unprecedented times. Move everything up one year and then everything will eventually fall back in place.’