IOC President Talks Corona With NOCs

(ATR) IOC President Thomas Bach is finding support in the Americas for his determination to hold the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But in a teleconference with 39 National Olympic Committees from the region, he also heard about the unequal preparations athletes training for the Games are experiencing as a result of corona virus concerns.

The teleconference is one of several hosted this week by Bach to inform the international federations , NOCs and athletes about the IOC perspective on the crisis.

Brian Lewis, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, suggested in a statement the rescheduling of the Olympic Games for October.

Lewis recognized Bach's commitment to "transparency and accountability and his dignity, integrity, strong character, and determined leadership at this unprecedented and difficult time in human history."

Lewis is also president of the Association of Caribbean Olympic Committees, CANOC, but spoke as head of his NOC.

Lewis drew attention to the "tremendous" uncertainty, health and wellness risk, worry, fear, and disruption to their training that the pandemic has created among athletes, including those in his country.

At the time of his statements it was known that a high-performance Trinidadian athlete who returned from Europe was identified as the fifth case infected with Covid-19 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Lewis recalled that, like other countries, Trinidad and Tobago has had to resort to drastic decisions to counter the spread of the virus.

Trinidad and Tobago, like the rest of the Caribbean and American NOCs, supported the IOC action plan to address the problems regarding the Olympic qualification process after the wave of suspensions of Olympic qualifiers.

Panam Sports President Neven Ilic said that the results of the Lima 2019Pan American Games should be considered.

Some international federations, such as canoeing, already have a plan to evaluate the performances from this continental event if necessary.

The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, transmitted "unanimous support" to Bach's performance.

But he also expressed "the situation that athletes are going through in Spain, because it is not that they will be two weeks without training, it is that this situation may drag on and we will not be able to arrive in Tokyo in the best conditions. And like us, several other countries,"he said in comments on the COE website.

"All athletes have to go to the Games under the same conditions," he told Televisión Española.

"The problem is not on July 24 (opening day), it is not when the parade takes place and the flag bearers come out, the problem is the way until July 24," he said.

"It is not fair to go to some Games with some restrictions and without other restrictions," said Blanco.

The president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Luis Mejía, told Around The Rings that the NOCs of America focused attention on doubts about the athletes' classification system.

The COD has had a punctual follow-up of its athletes inside and outside the country regarding the measures to counter the spread of the COVID -19.

"I think the IOC is making a calculated risk decision and that is correct," he said of the current position of the IOC to hold the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Mejia announced that today the DR’s main hope in artistic gymnastics is now in Tokyo at a preparation base.

Only the Cuban and Bolivian Olympic Committees did not participate in Bach's videoconference. He was accompanied by Pere Miró, deputy director of the IOC, and James Macleod, director of Olympic Solidarity and Relations with the NOCs.

Reported by Miguel Hernandez.