Olympic athletes in ‘impossible position’ – Canada
March 23, 2020 By Agence France-Presse
Canadian Olympic chiefs said Monday the health and safety of athletes had prompted the country’s decision to withdraw its team from the Tokyo Olympics amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A day after Canada became the first team to announce its withdrawal from the July 24-August 9 Games, Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) chief David Shoemaker said athletes had been left in an “impossible position.”
With public health authorities urging individuals to stay inside to curb the spread of COVID-19, athletes had been caught between a desire to heed health and safety advice while trying to minimize disruption to training programs.
“What we started to hear a fair bit was how this put tremendous pressure on our athletes who frankly were being torn by conflicting messages,” Shoemaker told AFP.
“On the one hand to do what they needed to do for their health and safety and that of their families and communities, and at the same time keep an eye on their training and the possibility that the Olympics could still occur in July.
“We felt that athletes were being placed in an impossible position and it wasn’t appropriate to ask athletes to put themselves at risk, to put their families at risk and their communities at risk, by still thinking that they had to get themselves ready for Tokyo.
“So in effect we told them to stand down … we thought it was time to stop focusing on gold medals and start focusing on the health of athletes and their families and of Canadians.”
The COC’s statement on Sunday specified a refusal to take part in a Games staged in the “summer of 2020” — in theory leaving the door open to participation at an Olympics scheduled later this year.
Shoemaker however said Monday that Canada’s preference was for a one-year postponement, expressing doubt that the Games could be rearranged in any other window in 2020.
“Our strongest recommendation is that the Games be rescheduled for the summer of 2021,” Shoemaker said. “We think it gives the greatest chance for the solutions to this terrible pandemic and also because it allows for the greatest possible amount of time to prepare for a postponed games.
“The seasonality would match up as opposed to trying to take the games into a month where it had not been anticipated. We’re sceptical of a games being rescheduled for later on in 2020.”
© 2020 AFP
Are the Olympics Finally Being Postponed?
International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound said the Games would likely be pushed to 2021.
BY DAN ADLER MARCH 23, 2020
The Olympic rings on the waterfront at Odaiba Marine Park
in Tokyo, Japan.BY ISSEI KATO/REUTERS.
As sports leagues across the world have closed up shop due to coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee has stoutly maintained that the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo will still happen. On Sunday, amid growing clamor from athletes and national federations to postpone the Games, the IOC announced that it would reach a decision within four weeks. On Monday that timeline appeared to shrink significantly, as longtime IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that “on the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” and that “the parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Pound said that the Games would likely be pushed to 2021, and that the four-week timeline announced by IOC president Thomas Bach was to figure out the details of the postponement.
Despite Pound’s seeming certainty, the postponement might not be completely confirmed. In response to Pound’s statement, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told USA, “It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC executive board which was announced yesterday.”
If the Olympics do go forward as scheduled, there will be a shortened list of participants. Team Canada has already said it will withdraw from the Games if they’re not postponed, as USA points out; Australia has said in a statement, “It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July”; and Brazil, Germany, and Norway have publicly asked for a delay.
As sports leagues across the world have closed up shop due to coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee has stoutly maintained that the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo will still happen. On Sunday, amid growing clamor from athletes and national federations to postpone the Games, the IOC announced that it would reach a decision within four weeks. On Monday that timeline appeared to shrink significantly, as longtime IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that “on the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” and that “the parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Pound said that the Games would likely be pushed to 2021, and that the four-week timeline announced by IOC president Thomas Bach was to figure out the details of the postponement.
Despite Pound’s seeming certainty, the postponement might not be completely confirmed. In response to Pound’s statement, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told USA, “It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC executive board which was announced yesterday.”
If the Olympics do go forward as scheduled, there will be a shortened list of participants. Team Canada has already said it will withdraw from the Games if they’re not postponed, as USA points out; Australia has said in a statement, “It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July”; and Brazil, Germany, and Norway have publicly asked for a delay.
Canada, Australia pull athletes out of Olympics, as the IOC says it will consider postponing Tokyo Games
ATHENS, GREECE - MARCH 12: Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou (R), dressed as an ancient Greek high priestess stands next to the Olympic flame during the Flame Handover Ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics on March 19, 2020 in Athens, Greece. The ceremony was held behind closed doors as a preventive measure against the Coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Aris Messinis - Pool/Getty Images Europe)
The Canadian Olympic Committee announced that it will not send athletes to the Tokyo Olympic Games, as the International Olympic Committee weighs a decision on whether or not to postpone the event during the COVID-19 pandemic is currently. Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee told athletes to prepare for the Games being delayed by year.
The Canadian and Australian announcements were made after the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday that it will make a decision on whether or not to postpone the games within the next four weeks.
In a letter to athletes, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach wrote, "together with all the stakeholders, we have started detailed discussions today to complete our assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including a scenario of postponement."
But the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees called on the IOC to postpone the games for one year.
"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these games," they wrote. "In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow."
In its statement, the Australian Olympics Committee said it "believes our athletes now need to prioritise their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to their families, in discussion with their National Federations," especially as travel restrictions are implemented by countries around the world.
The Summer Olympics, which take place every four years, have become an opportunity to gauge the adoption and impact of streaming technology. In 2016, the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil set new viewership records for a live-streamed event.
According to a report by Akamai Technologies (whose streaming technology was used by NBC), the 2016 Games were streamed for a total of 3.3 billion minutes, including 2.71 billion live-streaming minutes, with 100 million unique users watching the Games on a NBC Digital platform.
In addition to being a major sporting event, the Olympics are also a proving ground for new technologies, with robotics being a highlight of the 2020 Games. The Tokyo Olympics was supposed to give companies, including Toyota and Panasonic, a chance to show off new assistive and delivery robots, and demonstrate how they can fit into major events as well as daily routines.
IOC looking at postponing Tokyo Olympics;
Canada pulls out
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) The IOC will take up to four weeks to consider postponing the Tokyo Olympics amid mounting criticism of its handling of the coronavirus crisis that now includes Canada saying it won't send a team to the games this year and the leader of track and field, the biggest sport at the games, also calling for a delay.
© Getty A general view of the Olympic Rings near Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, after Global Athlete added its voice to those calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed this summer due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The IOC is planning meetings with Japanese public authorities, global sports officials, broadcasters and sponsors that will deal with scenario planning for the Olympics, which are scheduled to start July 24. Canceling the games is not under consideration.
IOC President Thomas Bach sent a letter to athletes explaining the decision and why it might take so long, while also acknowledging the extended timeline might not be popular.
''I know that this unprecedented situation leaves many of your questions open,'' he wrote. ''I also know that this rational approach may not be in line with the emotions many of you have to go through.''
But only hours after the announcement, World Athletics President Seb Coe sent a letter to Bach saying that holding the Olympics in July ''is neither feasible nor desirable.'' He outlined a number of reasons, including competitive fairness, the likelihood athletes would overtrain if given a compressed schedule and the uncertainty caused by orders in many countries barring people from gyms and other workout venues.
''No one wants to see the Olympic Games postponed but ... we cannot hold the event at all costs, certainly not at the cost of athlete safety,'' he wrote. ''A decision on the Olympic Games may become very obvious very quickly.''
Then, late Sunday, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced it won't send athletes to Tokyo unless the games are postponed by a year, becoming the first country to threaten such a move. The committee said in a statement that it was unsafe for athletes to continue training.
''In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow,'' the committee said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also urged the IOC to make a quick decision, adding that a postponement would be unavoidable if the games cannot be held in a complete way. The Australian Olympic Committee also chimed in, advising athletes to prepare for an Olympics next year.
''It's clear the games can't be held in July,'' said Ian Chesterman, Australia's team leader for Tokyo.
Despite the pressure on the IOC, a decision probably won't come sooner than next month.
The IOC said the scenarios under consideration ''relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on July 24, 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games.''
The change in strategy followed Bach's conference call with executive board members.
Bach has consistently said organizers are fully committed to opening the games on July 24 - despite athlete training, qualifying events and games preparations being disrupted more and more by the virus outbreak causing the COVID-19 disease.
The IOC is planning meetings with Japanese public authorities, global sports officials, broadcasters and sponsors that will deal with scenario planning for the Olympics, which are scheduled to start July 24. Canceling the games is not under consideration.
IOC President Thomas Bach sent a letter to athletes explaining the decision and why it might take so long, while also acknowledging the extended timeline might not be popular.
''I know that this unprecedented situation leaves many of your questions open,'' he wrote. ''I also know that this rational approach may not be in line with the emotions many of you have to go through.''
But only hours after the announcement, World Athletics President Seb Coe sent a letter to Bach saying that holding the Olympics in July ''is neither feasible nor desirable.'' He outlined a number of reasons, including competitive fairness, the likelihood athletes would overtrain if given a compressed schedule and the uncertainty caused by orders in many countries barring people from gyms and other workout venues.
''No one wants to see the Olympic Games postponed but ... we cannot hold the event at all costs, certainly not at the cost of athlete safety,'' he wrote. ''A decision on the Olympic Games may become very obvious very quickly.''
Then, late Sunday, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced it won't send athletes to Tokyo unless the games are postponed by a year, becoming the first country to threaten such a move. The committee said in a statement that it was unsafe for athletes to continue training.
''In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow,'' the committee said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also urged the IOC to make a quick decision, adding that a postponement would be unavoidable if the games cannot be held in a complete way. The Australian Olympic Committee also chimed in, advising athletes to prepare for an Olympics next year.
''It's clear the games can't be held in July,'' said Ian Chesterman, Australia's team leader for Tokyo.
Despite the pressure on the IOC, a decision probably won't come sooner than next month.
The IOC said the scenarios under consideration ''relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on July 24, 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games.''
The change in strategy followed Bach's conference call with executive board members.
Bach has consistently said organizers are fully committed to opening the games on July 24 - despite athlete training, qualifying events and games preparations being disrupted more and more by the virus outbreak causing the COVID-19 disease.
© APWF A woman walks past a large display promoting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Friday, March 13, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for a year because of the spreading coronavirus was immediately shot down by Japan's Olympic minister. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Criticism of the stance grew in recent days from Olympic gold medalists and by an IOC member last Tuesday, before Bach finally acknowledged an alternative plan was possible.
National Olympic committees in Brazil and Slovenia later called for a postponement to 2021. Norway's Olympic body said it did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control.
The United States governing bodies of swimming and track - two of the three top-tier Summer Games sports - have called on their national Olympic officials to push for a postponement.
''There is a dramatic increase in cases and new outbreaks of COVID-19 in different countries on different continents,'' the IOC said. ''This led the (board) to the conclusion that the IOC needs to take the next step in its scenario-planning.''
The IOC said last week that roughly 4,700 of 11,000 spots in the Olympics have yet to be allocated.
Bach acknowledged the problems that come with a compressed or radically altered qualifying schedule, but also laid out several reasons that the IOC could not rush to a decision.
It included the availability of venues that are scheduled for use this summer but might not be available at a later time and the disruption of future events in the individual sports.
''A decision about a postponement today could not determine a new date for the Olympic Games because of the uncertain developments in both directions: an improvement, as we are seeing in a number of countries thanks to the severe measures being taken, or a deteriorating situation in other countries,'' Bach said.
Criticism of the stance grew in recent days from Olympic gold medalists and by an IOC member last Tuesday, before Bach finally acknowledged an alternative plan was possible.
National Olympic committees in Brazil and Slovenia later called for a postponement to 2021. Norway's Olympic body said it did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control.
The United States governing bodies of swimming and track - two of the three top-tier Summer Games sports - have called on their national Olympic officials to push for a postponement.
''There is a dramatic increase in cases and new outbreaks of COVID-19 in different countries on different continents,'' the IOC said. ''This led the (board) to the conclusion that the IOC needs to take the next step in its scenario-planning.''
The IOC said last week that roughly 4,700 of 11,000 spots in the Olympics have yet to be allocated.
Bach acknowledged the problems that come with a compressed or radically altered qualifying schedule, but also laid out several reasons that the IOC could not rush to a decision.
It included the availability of venues that are scheduled for use this summer but might not be available at a later time and the disruption of future events in the individual sports.
''A decision about a postponement today could not determine a new date for the Olympic Games because of the uncertain developments in both directions: an improvement, as we are seeing in a number of countries thanks to the severe measures being taken, or a deteriorating situation in other countries,'' Bach said.
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