HAMBURG – Defying growing criticism, International Olympic
Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Saturday defended pressing
on with plans to stage this summer's Tokyo Olympics despite the
coronavirus outbreak, for the athletes' sake.
"A cancellation would destroy the Olympic dream of 11,000 athletes
from 206 national Olympic committees and the IOC refugee team. Such a
cancellation would be the least fair solution," Bach told German SWR
radio.
Bach also said that because of their complexity "you can't postpone
the Olympic Games like a football match next Saturday," and insisted
that any decision required reliable and clear information.
But pressure on the IOC is growing from athletes and officials to
postpone the Games scheduled for July 24-August 9.
The athletics chiefs from Britain, Nic Coward, and Germany, Juergen
Kessing, were among the latest to urge a postponement.
"To leave it where it is is creating so much pressure in the system.
It now has to be addressed," Coward told the BBC.
Kessing told dpa "I would have wished they would follow the example
of football and like the European championships also postpone the
Olympic Games in Tokyo by one year," Kessing told dpa.
Football's UEFA decided on the Euro tournament on Tuesday.
Bach has insisted it was too early for a decision but he has also
told the New York Times they are "considering different scenarios"
but no outright cancellation.
On Friday, Olympic Committees from Norway and Slovenia, as well as
the US swimming federation had also urged the Games to be postponed
for health reasons and because many athletes can't train because of
government restrictions.
"Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months
before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity
of a level playing field for all," US swim chief Tim Hinchey said in
an open letter Friday to national Olympic committee CEO Sarah
Hirshland.
"Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety, and
their mental health and wellness should be among the highest
priorities."
Hinchey named a postponement "a solution that provides a concrete
path forward and allows all athletes to prepare for a safe and
successful Olympic Games in 2021."
Athletics multi event world champions Katarina Johnson-Thompson of
Britain and Niklas Kaul of Germany have meanwhile said their training
is all but impossible, and Kaul questioned whether fair competition
would be possible in Japan with some athletes able to train in less
Covid-19 affected areas while those in areas with restrictions
couldn't.
Questions have also been raised around drug testing amid lockdowns,
travel bans and other restrictions but the World Anti-Doping Agency
said it new guidelines issued Friday it was trying its best to
protect the clean athletes and be ready immediately when life returns
to normal.
WADA president Witold Banka pledged they would be "providing
leadership and support so that the health of all concerned can be
protected and the integrity of the world anti-doping system can be
maintained as much as possible.
"It will also be crucial that the system can return to full power as
quickly as possible once the various restrictions are lifted."
Elsewhere, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said he was
showing no symptoms after a week of self-isolation, following meeting
two people early in March who have contracted the virus: actor Idris
Elba and Sophie Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau.
"I want to let you know that I am doing well," the six-time world
champion Hamilton said in a statement on Twitter.
"I have zero symptoms ... I did speak to my doctor and double checked
if I needed to take a test but the truth is, there is a limited
amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than
I do."
DPA