IOC message on Tokyo Games rankles athletes, officials

NEW YORK • Several athletes and representatives of national Olympic committees reacted with bewilderment and frustration on Wednesday, after officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged them to continue training despite worldwide restrictions on movement amid a coronavirus pandemic that has cast the Tokyo Games into doubt.

The IOC, which has insisted the Olympics will begin as scheduled from July 24, made the request during a two-hour conference call with 200 athlete representatives and IOC officials, including its president Thomas Bach.

Rather than reassuring the athletes, the call left some of them flummoxed.

"The message was not, 'Protect yourselves and protect your community', it was, 'Find a way to train'," Xiao Han, a table tennis player and an athlete representative from the United States, said.

"Regardless of their intentions, their first priority is not the public health aspect of it. It's like, 'Is that consistent with your values? Is that how you want to be perceived as a member of global society?'"

Participants on the call said the IOC officials had sidestepped many questions or provided vague answers on a number of pressing issues, including potential alternative plans for the event, safety measures and universal training guidelines related to the pandemic.

Resistance to the IOC's insistence on pushing ahead with the Games is growing in other quarters.

Phil Andrews, chief executive of USA Weightlifting, said he would prefer the Games begin as scheduled, but only if the health of athletes can be guaranteed.

"I completely understand the view of some athletes, which is, 'Am I going to be totally safe in the Games?'" he said.

"How do we make sure people coming in are sure to be clear of coronavirus?"

One athlete representative, according to notes of the call provided to The New York Times by multiple participants, wondered if the IOC could offer training guidelines or regulations to put everyone on the same playing field. He was told that even at the height of the crisis in China, athletes there were able to continue training.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, however, believes that a level playing field for athletes during their Olympic preparations may now not be possible.

He told the Times of London yesterday: "Recent evidence suggests China seems to be pulling out of this (pandemic) but, if you're living in Europe, you're an Italian distance runner and you're confined to your house, that's a massive challenge.

"The reality is that (a level playing field) may not be possible in every case. Some are not able to train properly, some are not able to access public tracks or indoor facilities."

Many people also asked about a deadline when the IOC would make a final decision on proceeding with the Games and about the specific conditions that would have to be met for the event to go on as planned.

They were told that there was no such date, and no details on decision-making were offered.

On the possibility of staging the Games without spectators, Christophe de Kepper, the IOC director general, replied that such an outcome was "not preferred" but that "all options are on the table".

"It's clear people are getting to a breaking point," Xiao said. "I'm seeing almost a critical mass of athlete voices expressing frustration or asking the question, 'Should this be postponed?'"

Callum Skinner, a member of the British Olympic Association's athlete commission and Rio 2016 cycling gold medallist, said the IOC's current posture was unhelpful.

He added: "Their message seems out of tune with what athletes are seeing on the news every day, and what they are hearing from governments."

Despite all the discontentment from athletes, Bach felt that the call was "really great" and "very constructive".

He said in a statement: "Everybody realised that we have still more than four months to go and we will address this action, and we will keep acting in a responsible way in the interest of the athletes."

NYTIMES, REUTERS