Irish athletes join call to postpone Tokyo Olympics
Irish athletes are starting to add their voices to the calls for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone this summer's Games in Tokyo.
The IOC had, until recently, insisted that the Games would proceed as planned despite the global spread of the coronavirus but that stance has softened with the body now giving itself four weeks to decide whether or not to proceed as planned or hold off.
It isn't long since the body was releasing statements after meetings in which the idea of a postponement or cancellation wasn't even being mentioned but there are now moves being made to proceed with contingency plans.
Better late than never.
IOC president Thomas Bach has written an open letter to the athlete 'community' stating that health and safety is paramount in any decision but that doesn't go far enough for Brendan Boyce, the 50km walker and two-time Olympian, who tweeted as much this morning.
“Thomas Bach, here is the statement you are looking for: Due to the continuing global escalation of COVID-19 & global travel restrictions it is now untenable to continue with Tokyo 2020 as planned but it will take time for us to decide on the next best option for postponement.”
The IOC, previously so stubborn in its insistence that this Olympiad would kick off on time at the end of July, has had no option but to bend to reality and there is a widespread belief now that a delay of some stripe will be forthcoming.
It will be a moment of enormous significance when it does occur. Modern Olympics have only ever slipped from their berths because of war with the 1916, 1940 and 1944 versions all being cancelled as a result of the two world wars.
The IOC insists that this one will go ahead - at some point. Cancellation is simply unthinkable given the enormous sums of money already poured into the enterprise by organisers in Tokyo, sponsors, TV companies and the various sports federations and Olympic chapters around the world.
Moving it along the calendar will be expensive enough.
Canada have already announced that they will not be sending athletes to an Olympics that goes ahead this summer in the Japanese capital while Australia have put theirs on notice for a change of date to a point in 2021.
"I think they should be postponed," said world champion boxer Kellie Harrington on OTB AM who was part of an Irish team that took part in Olympic qualifiers in London last week that were ultimately aborted, "I don't think they should be cancelled.
"I just think that [the IOC] need to make a call on that sooner rather than later because it is bad enough that [we the athletes] are stuck in our houses, but now we're stuck in our houses still trying to get training in.
"It's kind of crazy and it is really tough for some athletes to try and fit the correct training in around all of these restrictions."
Boyce and Harrington's opinions are being echoed around the world with former and current members of the IOC's own council expressing such sentiments. Even Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has intimated that a postponement may be on the cards.
