SA Olympic hopefuls reject calls for Tokyo Games to be cancelled amid coronavirus concerns
A quartet of the state’s Olympic hopefuls have rejected calls for the Tokyo Games to be cancelled, in the wake of a senior IOC official’s concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
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South Australian Olympic hopefuls have called for the Tokyo Games to be postponed or relocated, not cancelled, should the coronavirus outbreak make staging them in Japan unsafe.
But the quartet of contenders remains committed to the showpiece event, despite crucial lead-up competitions across the globe also being threatened by the spread of the disease.
The Games were cast into doubt on Wednesday when a senior International Olympic Committee official estimated there was a three-month window to determine their fate.
Dick Pound, the longest-serving IOC member, said the July 24-August 9 celebration would likely be scrapped, instead of moved, if it proved too dangerous to proceed as scheduled.
Adelaide-born world rowing champion Olympia Aldersey said cutting the Games would be a crushing blow for athletes and their Olympic dreams.
“Right now, you don’t really want to think about it being cancelled,” the 2016 Olympian said.
“I came back from Rio to train for Tokyo, so if it’s cancelled it’s a bit like ‘what have I done with my life?’
“I’d rather it (the Games) be postponed.
“I don’t care if it’s not broadcast (on TV), I just want to go over there and race.”
The coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2700, mostly in China, in the past two months.
It has spread to the Middle East, Europe and other parts of Asia, including Japan where four people have died, raising questions over the Tokyo Games.
Aldersey was expected to seal her place on the Australian team at this weekend’s Sydney International Regatta.
But the squad’s plans were this week thrown into disarray, as the AIS European Training Centre – its pre-Olympic base – closed after three coronavirus deaths in northern Italy.
SA long-jumper Henry Frayne was not concerned about the health risk of competing in Japan, despite next month’s world indoor championships in China being postponed a year.
But the Commonwealth silver medallist, aiming for his third Olympic appearance, said scrapping Tokyo would end his Games journey.
“If it was cancelled, that would be pretty devastating,” Frayne, 29, said.
“That would mean I probably wouldn’t have another Olympics in my career.
“But not going to the Games myself, isn’t something that I’m going to do.
“I love Japan and I love Tokyo and I think they’re more on top of everything than China is.”
Adelaide Giants baseballer Curtis Mead made his national team debut this month and hoped to retain his spot for April’s final Olympic qualifying tournament in Taiwan and beyond.
“If I’m lucky enough to get selected, it would be pretty disappointing for the guys to qualify for the Olympics and for it to get cancelled,” Mead, 19, said.
SA-based weightlifter Kiana Elliott, who was tipped to secure her maiden Games berth at the upcoming Oceania titles in Nauru, echoed the view.
“If they rescheduled everything in a way that was safe for everyone, then that would be preferred as opposed to waiting another four years,” the Oceania 64kg record-holder said.
“It would be fairer to everyone that’s been putting their everything into this once in-a-four-year opportunity.”
Pound encouraged the expected 11,000 Olympic athletes, as well as the 4400 competitors in the August-September Paralympics, to continue training as planned.
But the Canadian said if the Tokyo Games remained in doubt by May “you’re probably looking at a cancellation”.
“You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics,” said Pound, who all but ruled out shifting the event to another city.
“There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons and television seasons.”
Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll was confident the Games would proceed.
“The word postponed or cancelled is not being used at this stage,” Carroll told 5AA.
“The International Olympic Committee is taking advice from the World Health Organisation, as are the organising committee in Tokyo.
“The indications there are there’s no need to consider cancelling the Games. Tokyo is go.”
Originally published as SA Olympic hopefuls reject calls for Tokyo Games to be cancelled amid coronavirus concerns