Dick Pound, a veteran of the International Olympic Committee, believes that only a “real uprising” can force the Beijing Olympics to be postponed. “The arrow left the bow in almost every way,” he stressed.
In an interview with USA TodayOn Tuesday, Dick Pound said that despite the spread of COVID-19 cases around the world, he was confident that the Beijing Olympics would really happen. However, he did not completely close the door to the possibility of canceling or postponing the event.
“I think there will be some uncertainty around the games among the people as long as the ship is sailing, but unless the armageddon happens and the authorities say health officials must, the mooring is stopped and the ship is leaving the port. In this case, it will change the whole pattern,” he said.
The 79-year-old is the first IOC member to raise the possibility that the event will not take place from February 4. Asked what the chances of this happening were, he replied “very slim”.
“Trying to put a number on it is foolish,” he added. This is completely undeniable, but there are not entire countries that we should not go to. It’s a shame to be an athlete X Horse de Combat, but you still have a few hundred athletes. ”
“This concern is for all those who are not yet in China, and if so, they should withdraw one by one and you will lose a bobbler here, a skater there,” he said. If you’ve reached the level where only Chinese athletes are, no, it’s not the Olympics and they will not be recognized. ”
About David Schumacher
“We are concerned,” Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Schumacher said Monday. “We believe these games can still be played safely, but we’ll take it on a daily basis,” he said.
When asked about this, Dick Pound argued that it is common for CEOs of National Olympic Committees to determine the magnitude of the situation.
“If I were in his shoes, I would say the same thing,” he said. If you are the CEO of the National Olympic Committee, you should not ignore the possibility of the Games being canceled. ”
“There are no indications that this will happen,” Pound continued. But we have never experienced this kind of thing before. [Le variant Omicron] Certainly going around the world, and more and more people are traveling, so more and more people can catch or spread the virus, so yes you should say “our team is concerned about health and safety”.
Nothing recent in the Canadian sports world has been common lately. Some important pre-Olympic competitions, such as the Canadian Long Track Options, had to be canceled, disrupting normal procedures.
Two weeks ago, the National Hockey League and the Players’ Association (AJLNH) agreed to end their participation in the Olympic Games. Last week, the Canadian Bobsleigh Federation placed 10 of its athletes and three staff members on the COVID-19 protocol. Canadian figure skating couple Vanessa James and Eric Radford said on Tuesday that they tested positive during the holiday season and did not know if they would be able to compete in the next Olympic trials. And the list goes on.
“There will definitely be athletes in the competition [dans les prochaines semaines] And cases will arise, Dick Pound said. The question is: how many will they be and is it the equivalent of a tsunami that says it is no longer possible to host the Olympics? ”
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