Olympics: Tokyo Games will go ahead, says John Coates

Australian Olympic boss John Coates will isolate for two weeks after meeting with IOC president Thomas Bach

AOC boss John Coates is confident the Tokyo Games will go ahead.

Australian Olympic boss John Coates will isolate for two weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, after meeting with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach in Switzerland about the future of the Tokyo Games.

Coates, who is also the chair of the IOC’s Co-Ordination Committee, is due back tomorrow. He said the discussions with Bach and member nations affirmed the Olympic hierarchy’s confidence the Tokyo Games would go ahead, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coates noted that qualification rules would be “flexible” for federations because of the virus sweeping the world that has compromised many athletes’ preparations for Tokyo.

“No one is underplaying the challenge, but the challenges are all matters we should be able to address,” Coates told The Australian.

“I had dinner with Thomas Bach last night, we had meetings, made phone calls from his office on Friday, there’s confidence in the Japanese and he has given me instructions to make sure we are as flexible as possible with the amending qualification rules for federations. That will happen.”

When he returns to Sydney, Coates will self-isolate for 14 days as part of Australia’s border controls.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government have been adamant that the Olympics will go ahead — even as other global sporting events have been put on hold.

Coates said the IOC is doing a comphrensive job of keeping international federations informed of preparations, as well as the National Olympic Committees and athletes as the virus sweeps the world.

“What pleases me, while some are being critical, some of these (COVID-19) countermeasures weren’t introduced earlier, in Europe particularly, at least it means they are being introduced, athletes and populations are being protected in these countries,” Coates said.

“The National Olympic Committees are in full control of where they are at. Probably the most difficult (situation) would be Italy I imagine. We know the British were having their rowing trials the other day. The Chinese we know are in Europe, they’re under control. They are probably the best organised of anyone.”

“The Koreans have got their situation under control … you worry about poorer countries that don’t have the resources.

“But I think it is a very good move, that containment that has taken place, we have four months to go on this, you know.”

“There’s a positive attitude rightly so from the Japanese, they closed the schools when it was over there in January.”

“We have full confidence in their ability. That is where it is at.”

Coates also dismissed a previous suggestion from senior IOC executive Dick Pound that a call would be made on whether the Games would go ahead in May and could face “cancellation”.

Coates doesn’t believe the Olympics has been compromised and pointed out many teams had already qualified for the Games.

Training camps, practice events have been cancelled and in some cases athletes have endured quarantine.

Coates noted many athletes had endured trying preparations.

“What about the Chinese women’s soccer team who came to Brisbane, to play the Matildas, they were in quarantine for two weeks,” he said. “Everyone is in the same situation.”

“Let’s hope we are well organised – I am sure Australia can work through this.

Coates didn’t think there was an unfair playing field.

“What’s unfair if you have already qualified,” he said. “Take the rowing, they have already qualified, the teams already know they’ve qualified, they’ll be in no different situations, they’ve got a bit bigger problem in the north of Italy. Their different teams will be working in lockdown together,” he said.

“The numbers in Italy are great, but they are also great in France and Germany.

“The inconvenience for the team sport is not having friendly matches, that’s an inconvenience, we’ve had that from before. Sports like track and field, and swimming, well instead of heading to say Europe for warm-ups they will have to compete against themselves and against the clock. Everyone is in the same boat.”

Coates maintains there is less concern around the Games than there was for Moscow in 1980.

“There is less uncertainty than we had in 1980, I can tell you that,” Coates said.

“Then we had the same uncertainty when the Eastern Bloc nations were pulling out. We had whole nations pulling out. We’ve had uncertainty before.”