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Wait-and-see approach by JOA

Published:Wednesday | March 4, 2020 | 12:00 AMDaniel Wheeler/ Gleaner Writer
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The New National Stadium, a venue for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is seen from Shibuya Sky observation deck in Tokyo yesterday. The Japanese government has indicated it sees the next couple of weeks as crucial to containing the spread of the coronavirus which began in China late last year.
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JOA president Christopher Samuda
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Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Christopher Samuda says they will re-evaluate the country’s participation in the Olympics in April as concerns mount over the increasing cases of the coronavirus worldwide.

With the Games scheduled to start on July 24, Samuda says that the situation is being closely monitored and the association would depend on further advisories from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Health Organisation before any action is taken. “It is early days. We are going to have to await further advice to see whether it is going to be managed to the extent that it permits the Games to go on or if there is an increased risk, then we would have to take a decision,” he told The Gleaner. “I suspect mid March early April would be an opportune time for us to reassess the situation and perhaps take a decision.”

His comments follow Japan’s Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto who said yesterday that the Games could be pushed back to later this year. Responding to a question raised in the Japanese parliament, she explained the conditions of the agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when they won the bid for the Games which require that the Games be held within 2020. Because of the conditions set, Hashimoto said that the door is open for the Games to take place in the allotted time.

“The IOC has the right to cancel the Games only if they are not held during 2020. This can be interpreted to mean the Games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year,” she said.

Samuda said that a decision could also be taken on the athletes volition which has to be respected and that the safety and health of the competitors will be valued above all else. “Clearly also the athlete has a right as an individual to say that he or she has assessed the situation and he or she feels that there is a real risk and they can take that decision independent of us,” he said. “But as a governing body we of course place the athletes first and we will also be advising the athletes based on the information that we receive.”

World championships silver medallist, discus thrower Fedrick Dacres, said on Sunday that his focus will be solely on his preparations for the Games despite the lingering fears of postponement or cancellation.

“To be honest I am not thinking about it because I cannot do anything about it. So [I am just] training hard and doing what I am supposed to do,” Dacres said.