Skip to main content
Global Edition
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Athletes relieved that Tokyo 2020 Games is postponed

Duration: 01:40s 0 shares 2 views

Athletes relieved that Tokyo 2020 Games is postponed
Athletes relieved that Tokyo 2020 Games is postponed

Athletes, national associations and sporting federations from around the world reacted with relief, sadness and mainly goodwill to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday (March 24) because of the coronavirus pandemic.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRAZILIAN SKATEBOARDER, LETICIA BUFONI, SAYING: "I think everyone is really excited that skateboarding is going to be in the Olympics for the first time but everything happens for a reason.

I think they made a great decision to move to next year and now we're going to have more time to train.

I think it's good." (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN'S 100M OLYMPIC BREASTSTROKE CHAMPION, ADAM PEATY, SAYING: "So having that kind of decision from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has lift that kind of release that we don't need to be in shape in the summer and we don't need to put that kind of unnecessary risk on other people and we can save those resources for the NHS (National Health Service) for people who really need them as well." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADA'S 75-KILOGRAM OLYMPIC WRESTLING CHAMPION, ERICA WIEBE, SAYING:"It is incredibly relieving for me.

I think it's also a relief for athletes around the world who are trying reconcile getting into top shape when putting their communities and themselves at risk." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADA'S 75-KILOGRAM OLYMPIC WRESTLING CHAMPION, ERICA WIEBE, SAYING: "There is still a lot of uncertainties.

We still don't have a start date for the Olympic Games, we still don't know when training facilities will be open, when we'll be able to fly internationally to do training camps and competitions." (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL SURFING ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, FERNANDO AGUIRRE, SAYING: "Listen, as a surfer you learn that sometimes the waves don't come when you want.

The waves come when the waves come and you need to be ready.

So we're ready for 2020 and we're ready for 2021 so I don't think it's... a lot of people wrote to me this morning almost like expressing condolences about the change of the dates.

I said guys it's okay, it's fine, we're ready so an extra year is not going to do anything bad.

If anything it's going to allow us to fine-tune it even more where we already fine-tuned as much as we could.

You might like

Related news coverage

Advertisement

More coverage