Helene Ripa has reached the age of 48 and has won a gold and a silver at the Paralympics in cross-country skiing. In the canoe she has several World Cup medals but none in the Paralympics. She suggested in an interview with SVT last week that the Paralympics in Tokyo could be her last. Now the games are postponed for a year.
- It is a sensible decision, given the circumstances surrounding how the opportunities are around traveling, moving and exercising.
"Must land in this"A bet against the Paralympics requires a lot and since the games are postponed for a year, there are still many question marks that need to be straightened out before Ripa can make a decision.
- When will the games be decided? How will the qualifiers be decided? Will you erase old qualifying results? Will you implement new qualifications? You have to know this before I know what it will mean to me.
- I have to land in this and see what happens to the whole situation. Where do we even stand in a year when it comes to Corona?
For the table tennis player, Anna-Carin Ahlquist, 47, the Tokyo Paralympics has been a four-year venture that has now been postponed for one year.
- Of course I'm loaded, of course we're going to Tokyo. In a united world towards this that happens to us all.
"Drop a week, then I'm charged"One aspect that is abhorrent, for everyone in society, is the economic part. With the Olympics and Paralympics being postponed to 2021, it is necessary to extend the investment for another year.
- I work at the same time, I'm like any human. Then I have a loss of income when I'm at camp but most of the year I work. That way I see no major problems, says Ripa.
- We can redo and redo the plan and hope that there are resources, says Ahlquist and continues:
- Now we have to take a week and dip, then I'm charged again. At the same time as was expected, one had a hope that it would be implemented. Now we hope that it will be out next year and that the world situation is different.