Los Angeles (AFP)
The powerful American athletics federation demanded the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Saturday due to the pandemic of new coronavirus, asking American Olympic officials to relay this request to the IOC.
In a letter to the American Olympic and Paralympic Committee, American athletics boss Max Siegel believes that continuing preparations for the Olympics "would not be in the best interest of our athletes".
He cited the health and safety of athletes to justify this request, as well as the disruption of the calendar, with the cancellation or postponement of competitions and training, many athletes being confined because of the pandemic.
"Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety; their mental health and well-being is a priority for us," he says.
"The best and most responsible decision is to put everyone's health and safety first, and to see clearly the effects that this difficult situation has had and continues to have on our athletes and their preparation for the Olympic Games", adds the boss of USA Track & Field, while acknowledging that there is "no perfect solution".
The American athletics federation is following suit with its powerful swimming counterpart, which called for the postponement of the Olympic Games on Friday. Other voices are starting to rise in the sports world to ask for the postponement, like that of the Norwegian Olympic Committee or the French Swimming Federation.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is not yet inclined to postpone the Games, a decision that would be unprecedented since the Second World War. Its president Thomas Bach ruled on Friday that it would be "premature" to take such a decision four months before the start of the Olympic Games, on July 24.
© 2020 AFP