LONDON: Calls from sporting organisations for this year’s Tokyo Olympics to be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic collected pace on Saturday with USA Track and Field (USATF) and Brazil’s Olympic Committee the most recent to sign up with the throng.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organisers still insist the July 24- August 9 masterpiece will go ahead as planned in spite of Europe and the US struggling to control the spread of the flu-like virus.
Their optimism that the show will go on, however, is looking progressively out-of-step with countries in lockdown and professional athletes all over the world unable to train.
In a letter to United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) chief executive Sarah Hirshland, USATF urged USOPC to utilize its voice to “defend professional athletes”.
President Max