The President ot the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), Alfons Hörmann, said in an interview with the German Press Agency (dpa) that he had expected a clearer position from the IOC in the debate about postponing the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has sent a letter via the IOC’s Athlete365 program, designed to communicate directly to Olympic athletes, saying that the IOC will have a decision about how to proceed with the Tokyo Olympic Games “within the next four weeks.”
Hörmann told the German Press Agency today that examination of the postponement by the IOC had been “a correct and, in view of the current world health situation, long overdue step” and he added: “However, we would have liked a clear statement to the effect that the Olympic games definitely cannot take place on the planned date and that possible alternatives are now being discussed”.
Alfons Hörmann points out the difficult situation of athletes who cannot train because training facilities are closed and who also cannot qualify for the Olympic Games, with all competitions having been cancelled. “It would also have been an enormously valuable signal to the public to cancel the previous date due to the current situation in the world,” explained Hörmann. “However, especially in times of crisis, this will only be comprehensible to everyone through clear communication and decisive action,” emphasized Alfons Hörmann. “The public perception of the IOC and of sport as a whole will now be decisively influenced by how the next steps are openly communicated and consistently implemented over the next four weeks.”
Experts predict that a date in autumn would not be a safe alternative due to the coronavirus pandemic. For this reason, the DOSB supports “a postponement at least until next year”. Hörmann continues that “The IOC is well advised to involve the professional sports associations and the National Olympic Committees in the decision-making process for such central issues”.
Also the German Swimming Federation (DSV) sent a letter to their members with the central statement that more than 80% of the German national squads team members demand a postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games and a faster decision than IOC’s 4-week deadline.
The DSV states in the letter, that “the 4-week deadline for a decision announced by the IOC today is far too late, considering the current overall situation. This crisis demands quicker options for action from the entire sport. A postponement would of course be a tough decision for all those who have recently focused their whole lives on the Olympic dream, but we all bear a social responsibility that is greater than any individual.
Our survey of the DSV’s Olympic and perspective squad athletes yesterday showed that more than 80 percent of the athletes were in favour of postponing the Olympic Games and almost 90 percent consider the current competitive conditions to be unfair. It is also evident that a great deal of psychological pressure is being put on almost every single athlete, caused by the current difficult training situations, the lack of goal orientation and the overall planning uncertainty. We therefore consider postponing the Olympic Games by at least one year to be a realistic option.”