News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

This article was first published 4 years ago
Home  » Sports » Athletes should not risk health for Tokyo Olympics: Thorpe

Athletes should not risk health for Tokyo Olympics: Thorpe

February 27, 2020 20:36 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

A number of international sports events have been hit by the coronavirus, with some competitions being postponed and others cancelled outright, and there are concerns that the outbreak might scupper the Tokyo Olympics.

IMAGE: People wearing protective face masks, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, are seen in front of the Giant Olympic rings at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, on Thursday. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe says athletes should not put their Olympic dreams before their health in deciding whether to compete at the Tokyo Games as global health authorities battle to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

 

The flu-like virus is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has infected about 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700, the vast majority in China.

A number of international sports events have been hit by the coronavirus, with some competitions being postponed and others cancelled outright, and there are concerns that the outbreak might scupper the Tokyo Olympics.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound told Reuters on Wednesday that organisers would "reluctantly" have to cancel the Games if the coronavirus developed into a serious pandemic.

Thorpe said athlete safety should come above all else.

"I would most definitely be concerned,” the five-times Olympic champion told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

"What we need to know is to use some of the best expert disease specialists to find out what is the risk to the team. What is the risk to the other nations and how can we have an Olympic Games, one that is safe, that doesn’t put athletes at risk?

"I think the decision should come down to each individual athlete. But whether or not they want to compete, that they should take their health into consideration first."

Australia’s Olympic team chef de mission Ian Chesterman said on Wednesday the coronavirus is a serious concern but athletes are being instructed to prepare as if they were going to Tokyo as scheduled.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Paris Olympics 2024

India's Tour Of Australia 2024-25